Lavender Moon
by fat1236
Summary: Sequel to 'I Couldn't Leave Her'. Edmund and Esha are both older when they're reunited on the Dawntreader and time has only deepened their feelings. But love is often more of an obstacle than a blessing. EdmundXOC
1. Chapter 1

_Right, this is the sequel to I Couldn't Leave Her, don't worry if you haven't read it I don't think it'll matter too much, but if you've got some spare time then please do read it because the general feeling I get from the amount of reviews and alerting and favouriting is that people like it! But as I said...not necessarily necessary... Everyone please just remember that this is the first chapter and it's really not as amazing as the rest of the story! But stick with me and you'll enjoy it, I promise! Enjoy!_

"You are unhappy again." Caspian said quietly, startling Esha. She'd been too busy staring at the sun's reflection in the sea flashing past them to notice his brown eyes on her. She smiled reassuringly at him after a pause.

"Just thinking about old times." Both of them were losing their Telmarine accents; their acceptance of Narnian culture meant that they mingled more with Narnians than Telmarine's, and so their accents had changed and both now only sounded Telmarine when they'd had too much wine.

Caspian smiled back at her and joined her at the balustrade. "You are not old enough to have old times."

Esha smiled and looked back down into the sea, trying to grasp at the tendrils of her interrupted memories.

"Have you made a decision about Eyari yet?" She asked conversationally.

Eyari was one of the numerous beautiful women Caspian had been exposed to as the new King of Narnia, and now that he had turned 22 he was looking intently for a future wife. Unlike Esha, he knew that the Pevensie he wanted would not return and so had moved on as quickly as he could.

"Will I be needed on deck in the next few hours?" She asked suddenly, intending to go down to her cabin and reminisce in the quiet instead.

Caspian rolled his eyes at her playfully. "Esha, you will never be needed on deck!"

She laughed and walked past him still chuckling. It was true; she was there as Caspian's companion and confidante, not a sailor.

Nothing exciting had happened since the Pevensie's had left. It had been over a year since their return to England and Esha was nearing her 18th birthday. Walking skilfully across the constantly moving deck she wondered how old the Pevensie's all were now; Edmund had told her that time in his own land didn't move at the same rate as it did in Narnia. Caspian was not the only one being pursued; as the daughter of a Lord she had always been a prominent member of Telmarine society with men young and old alike clamouring for her attention and claiming that they could provide for her better and love her more than various other suitors. The amount of male attention she received had increased as she'd aged and her figure and features had grown more pronounced. With her family still missing, Caspian was acting out the role and had given her a large dowry, much larger than her father ever could've, and this added to the amount of attention she received.

It seemed that her parents had indeed disappeared off the face of the earth for no-one knew where they had gone or knew anyone who would know. Caspian still had numerous men investigating it, though each month there were less and less searching, each month Esha grew more and more disheartened as reports came in with absolutely no news.

The minotaur nodded his head respectfully at her as she passed and she gladly returned the gesture. The Narnians had all been open to the idea of a women on board the ship, but a few of the Telmarine men were suspicious of her; believing a woman to be bad luck on board a ship.

She hopped down the stairs, used to the continuous movement of the ship now. Caspian had ordered her to have men's clothes roughly fitted for the voyage so that she could move around more easily and, just in case she fell overboard, trousers are easier to swim in than a long skirt. But she had brought dresses too for when they went ashore. They weren't sure what kind of reception they would receive and thought it would be best if they did at least look the part of nobility.

She opened her door and sat down on her slightly swaying hammock. Narnia was a wonderful place now, but on the ship she was lonely. As the only female, she had no-one to discuss the trivial things such as hair and dresses with, but instead had to avoid the sailors when they began talking about their intimate relationships with their wives and boasting about their sexual prowess. Caspian always tried to put a stop to it, but he could not always be around Esha.

But Esha internally scolded herself each time she had thoughts of how lonely she was, for she had begged Caspain to bring her on the voyage with him. He had said no at first; though he had embraced the old Narnian laws and ideals he could not help but believe that a woman was bad luck on a ship; he had grown up with the myth.

With a sigh she lay down on the edge of her hammock, gently swinging in time with the ship and staring at the wooden wall opposite her. She no longer cried about Edmund's long absence, but she did grow sad about it as she waited, forever hoping that the next day would bring him back to Narnia.

She visualised him in her mind, the time when he'd been smiling at her as they played in The How. Despite the war and everything that had happened with Miraz, that had been the best time of her life.

She drifted off to sleep with dreams full of multiple Edmunds smiling at her and awoke sharply with a jolt only an hour later to the sound of shouting and laughter coming from the deck above her.

She shut her eyes again, assuming it would be more male jokes that she didn't want to hear. After a moment she sat up with a sigh, realising that now that she was awake she would not be able to get back to sleep again, and if she slept to long now she wouldn't that night, and then she'd have endless hours with nothing to do but think about the past.

She allowed her body time to adjust to the ships motion (she had found out the hard way that getting out of the hammock quickly after waking led to bruised knees and elbows) before stepping delicately down and rearranging her clothes and hair in the mirror.

She gave another sigh as she looked at herself. Vain as it sounded she liked wearing beautiful dresses. She liked feeling pretty and confident about herself. Caspian had taken her in and, homeless as she was; had given her a room in the castle and a maid who was available whenever she needed her to help dress her hair or get into a dress and she was now missing these home comforts just a little, though she would never admit it.

Taking a ribbon she tied her hair in a side ponytail; washing on board a ship is not as easy as it is in a bathroom, and it was for the best that she kept her hair up and stopped it getting greasy quickly .She turned and walked out of her cabin with her head downcast as she prepared herself to put on a big smile and pretend to be happy again.


	2. Chapter 2

_HIIIIIIIIIIIIIII! Thank you soooo much everyone for all the reviews and alerting and favouriting! It's wonderful to know that everyone's become so attached to my stories of Esha and Edmund; I'm updating now because the new Narnia DVD'S out! (and I've bought it..). I didn't want to update before I got the DVD because of any clashing bits of storyline or anything... didn't really want to include a scene from the movie later on but get another bit completely wrong because I didn't have the movie...anyway, enough rambling from me! Please review as you leave because it'll make me VERY happy. Enjoy!_

Esha stared with surprise at the boy she found coughing up water at her feet as she stepped out of the body of the ship, jumping backwards slightly when he blindly almost bashed into her. Her room was next to Caspian's study; he had kindly insisted on giving up his own quarters so that she may travel in comfort and style (and he had refused to have a Lady bunking with the crew).

The sailors immediately all noticed her appearance and looked at each other with grins stretching their mouths. When she looked up she found them all smiling at her with odd, anticipating looks in their eyes.

"Esha?" The soft, shocked voice reached her from across the deck, seemingly loud in the momentary silence.

Her head snapped up as she recognised the voice from her dreams and her eyes quickly scanned the ship, almost not even daring to hope it was the person she'd been waiting a year for.

She almost missed him at first; though his face was similar to how she remembered him he was different; taller and with more refined features.

Their eyes locked for only a millisecond before he was galloping across the deck towards her, making sailors jump out of the way and sending his towel flying.

"Ed!" She cried as he grasped her around the waist, his momentum forcing them back through the doors she'd just opened.

For a moment she couldn't breathe; she could hardly feel for her happiness, it seemed to have numbed all of her senses, shutting off the sound of the sailors around them whooping and cheering and the chill that Edmund's wet body brought her.

Their insanely joyous moment would have been ruined by Edmund's cousin, who screamed, "That giant rat thing just tried to claw my face off!", but Edmund too was suffering from numbed senses and neither or them heard Eustace. He kissed her all too briefly, their lips meeting desperately. The kiss was exulting; it made Edmund feel like his chest was floating and he suddenly had no worries or cares, but it was different for Esha; seeing him again made her heart feel heavy; she suddenly felt very aware of every single one of its quickened beats. They broke apart, still with the residing feelings of their kiss, and simply stared into each other's eyes, checking again that the other was there and they weren't dreaming.

"I was merely trying to expel the water from your lungs, sir!" Reepicheep replied to Eustace;s accusation, his voice bringing the two back to reality.

Esha spotted Lucy and the two ran at each other, embracing and jumping around excitedly, sending Lucy's towel flying too.

As Eustace was panicking about the rat that could magically talk, Edmund walked the few steps required across the deck till he reached Esha and Lucy, feeling the need to be near her to make sure she was real.

"Actually it's getting him to shut up that's the trick." Caspian said as he too joined them, smiling broadly at Esha whose face was more alight than he had seen it all year, and handing Lucy her towel again.

"The moment that there is nothing to be said, your Highness, I promise you I will not say it." Esha was looking at Edmund's face rather than at Reepicheep, searching for changes and clues as to his life in England.

"Well, I don't know what kind of prank this is, but I want to go back right now-" Eustace's annoying voice interjected, breaking Esha out of her search.

"I wonder if we could throw him back...?" Reepicheep asked quietly, turning to Lucy and Edmund and asking their permission.

There was a moment's silence as Edmund's eyes suddenly developed a faraway, dark, hopeful look.

"Edmund!" Lucy cried in astonishment, half-smiling despite her protests.

"I demand to know, just where in the blazes am I?" The boy continued hysterically, commandeering all their attention again as a sailor handed Edmund his towel back.

"You're on the Dawntreader; the finest ship in Narnia's navy..." Tavros' deep, growling voice told him helpfully.

Esha's first response to the boys fainting was slight concern for she knew how shocking it was to see a minotaur for the first time, but as everyone else around her laughed she too saw the funny side of it.

Caspian walked towards the boy and she began to follow him inquisitively, but Edmund caught her arm and shook his head at her gently, unable to help the smile that tugged at his lips as he looked at her face again. Cupping her face gently in his hands he kissed her forehead, unable to believe that they were once again together.

"Was it something I said?" Tavros asked Caspian, his face deadly serious.

"See to him, will you?" The young King replied with a small smile, not stopping long enough to hear his reply but instead putting his arm around Edmund's shoulders and pulling him slightly away from Esha.

"Men." He called out, climbing the staircase to the poop deck and turning to look out over his crew. Esha knew what he was doing and moved back, leaving Edmund and Lucy alone in front of the crew as they were introduced. "Behold our castaways; Edmund the Just and Lucy the Valiant, High King and Queen of Narnia."

Everyone bowed to the two, excepting Caspian and Esha, the latter of whom shocked Edmund slightly by curtseying; he had come to think of her as his equal, not as his subject.

There was a short silence as everyone straightened up again before Drinian shouted at them all that the excitement was over and to get back to work.

"Come on, you must be freezing!" Esha said quietly, grasping onto both Edmund and Lucy's elbows and steering the grateful two towards her cabin.

"Looks like you're no longer the only Queen on board..." Tavros teased Esha as he walked past with the unconscious Eustace slung over one of his shoulders.

"Queen?" Edmund demanded in horror, whipping around to stare at Esha intently, already forming imaginary marriages between Esha and Caspian in his mind.

Caspian caught hold of Edmund's shoulders with a smile and propelled him the other way. "Relax, no King has snatched her up; it is just the nickname the old Narnian's have given her; she has you to thank for that..." He said, raising an eyebrow at the visibly relaxing Edmund and giving him a half smile. "Let's find you some dry clothes whilst Esha helps Lucy."


	3. Chapter 3

_Ok, so not only am I updating really quickly, but this is a really long chapter! Please tell me you all love me! I have been absolutely overwhelmed at the amount of support for this story – 18 reviews after only 2 chapters! I'm so happy everyone else is happy! As always, please review, it makes me happy, and I think this could be my most successful story yet! Enjoy!_

"No, I don't think it will work..." Esha mused as she peered at the mirror over Lucy's shoulder. "You just can't risk it slipping too much...ah well, some of the men's clothes I had made will at least be small enough for you if you wear a belt to hold up the trousers.." She said with a smile, crossing the room and searching through her clothes for a suitable pair of trousers and a shirt. "And of course you can have my spare boots..."

"Thanks Esha." Lucy said, shyly fingering the front of the loose dress and wishing she had Esha's fuller body instead of the child's one she inhabited.

Esha sensed her discomfort and threw the clothes over at Lucy. "I'll go get you some hot wine, just to make sure you don't catch a chill." She said kindly, inventing the excuse so that Lucy could dress in private. She'd only stripped off her other wet clothes because Esha herself had been too busy changing out of her own clothes that'd been made wet by Edmund and Lucy to stop and stare at Lucy's insecure body.

She'd put on a dress this time and had brushed her hair out, wanting to look pretty and feminine now that she was seeing Edmund for the first time in so long.

"Hello stranger." He called out, walking across the deck towards her in a spare set of Caspian's clothes and with damp hair as she emerged.

She smiled and he wrapped an arm securely around her shoulders whilst she placed hers around his waist, giving each other a small, comforting squeeze.

"Where's Lucy?" He asked as an afterthought.

"She's still changing; my dresses were too big for her so she's wearing my spare man clothes." Esha replied, leaning her head back to smile at him. "I'm going to fetch her some hot wine, I think you should have some too, just to make sure you don't catch a chill."

"Nonsense." Edmund replied, puffing his chest out slightly. "I'm fit as a fiddle and stronger than ever before, no cold can harm me..."

Esha laughed and poked his chest playfully. "You are indeed...why not take on Caspian? He's just as good a fighter as ever, he's even had Narnia's best training me!" She exclaimed; thinking back to the Old Narnian's who'd taught her how to fight to her advantage, using her speed and agility rather than brute strength (which was something she most certainly did not possess).

"But you were already so good!" Edmund replied, looking away so that Esha could not see the laughter in his eyes.

"Be quiet you! I beat you in our spar!" She replied, hitting him lightly in the chest as she heard the laughter in his voice.

"No you didn't! You cheated!" He protested, remembering their duel that had ended in him simply chasing her.

"You cheated!" She replied, forcing herself to sound indignant when all she wanted to do was laugh. "You were tickling me!"

"So despite only tickling you, I still won?" Edmund checked.

"No, you cheated!" She protested, running out of come-backs.

"No, you cheated! And then you surrendered!" He shot back, the satisfied note in his voice telling Esha he thought he had won this battle as well as the one they were talking about.

Esha simply laughed off his reply and dropped the subject, for in truth he had won the spar.

Caspian joined the two, smiling at Esha's happy face. "Much better." He said to Edmund, looking his new clothes up and down with an appraising eye.

"Ready, Lu?" Edmund asked, craning over Caspians shoulder as Lucy emerged through the double doors.

"Excuse me, lad, I don't suppose you've seen a young girl around here, have you?" Caspian asked with a straight face

"All right!" Lucy protested, smacking him on the arm indignantly. "You two..."

"Come on." Caspian said, urging them into his study, back the way Lucy had just come. "Aren't you coming, Esha?" He called out, noticing she was not part of the party.

"I'll be just a moment; I'm getting the new arrivals some hot wine." She replied, already planning how to coax Cook into doing it for her.

She walked out of the galley five minutes later, perfectly balanced on the ship and not spilling one drop of the hot wine. She thanked one of the Telmarines-turned-Narnian, Ocosto, who obligingly held open the doors of Caspians study for her.

Edmund and Lucy thanked Esha and blew on their beverages; Lucy absentmindedly watching the steam as it curled off the top of the wine whilst Esha took her place beside Caspian, facing Edmund.

"Anyway, since you left us, the giants of the North have surrendered unconditionally; then we defeated the Calormene armies of the Great Desert. There is peace across all of Narnia." Caspian pressed on, tracing the locations on his map.

"Peace?" Esha gave a half-smile at Edmunds confused response.

"In just three years." Caspian retorted proudly.

"And have you found yourself a Queen in those three years?" Lucy suddenly asked, looking up at Caspian with her big eyes and smoothing her hair back behind her ear.

"No. Not one to compare with your sister." Caspian replied a little bitterly.

Edmund and Caspian continued talking, but Esha was too busy staring at Lucy to notice; she recognised that look; she had seen her friends wear it many times when they talked about their newest suitor and the gifts he had bought them.

But at Caspians reply Lucy's face fell and she moved back the hair she had tucked behind her ear, clearly feeling foolish.

Esha turned to the board as Caspian did before Lucy could notice her stare. She was already thinking frantically – she personally had not thought Susan to be particularly beautiful, but both Caspian and Lucy clearly did.

A year before she'd been kidnapped by Miraz she'd been close to a woman a few years older than her; the daughter of a prospering merchant whom her father had become patron to. The girl had spoken to Esha about her misery of being the second - and less beautiful daughter - who would forever live in the shadow of her prettier sister.

Whilst Caspian talked of the seven lords Esha was thinking of methods to restore Lucy's confidence.

"That's enough of your tall tales!" Caspian exclaimed, taking a bite of an apple, the loud crunching bringing Esha back to reality.

"Erm, my King?" A faun asked, sticking his head around the door. He was Lausus, Nausus' twin. "I am afraid we do not have enough material left to make another three hammocks..."

"Don't worry, I can go without." Edmund immediately said, taking a sip of the wine and smiling as the familiar taste filled his mouth. He would gladly go without a bit of comfort for Lucy, and though he wasn't quite so keen on being kind to Eustace he was simply so glad to be in Narnia he'd do anything.

"I have another plan." Caspian said after a moment's consideration. "We have enough material left for at least one more hammock, I presume?" He asked a nodding Lausus. "With your permission, Esha, we will take the hammock from your room and set it up downstairs, to create the two for Edmund and Eustace."

Esha nodded immediately; she and Lucy had very little to do on board the ship, it was more important that the men received all the sleep they required in order to keep their journey running and quickly and smoothly as possible. "Of course! Lucy and I can put down cushions and blankets for ourselves." She said with a sporting smile, backed up by Lucy.

Caspian gave a small laugh at her words. "As if I'll let two Queens sleep on the floor on board my ship..." He joked, looking teasingly at Esha. "A few of Drinian's men are good carpenters; they can build you both a large bed in the cabin by this evening."

Both girls were overjoyed at the proposition and Caspian immediately left to search for the men.

"Oh wait, let me just get something from the cabin..." Esha said, jumping down from the barrels and skipping to the cabin before anyone could reply. Rifling through her drawers she pulled out a light blue dress and went into Caspian's study, taking out one of the numerous simple sewing kits of scissors, pins, needle and thread that Caspian had packed in case any of the sailor's clothes ripped.

She smiled at three crews members who walked past when she came out, heading for the girls' room with spare planks of wood thrown over their shoulders and tools in their hands.

Coming back up on deck she found Caspian had disappeared to the helm where Drinian was giving him directions and figures of roughly where they should be. She jumped up next to Lucy at the port side of the ship and draped the dress over both of their laps.

"This dress will compliment your skin tone the most and really bring out your beautiful eyes; I think we should tailor it to your size over the next few days, instead of wasting our time doing nothing." She said to the younger girl with a smile.

"Edmund!" Caspian called out from across the boat. Edmund turned quickly to face him, squinting in the light of the bright sun. "Come, let us find you armour and weapons..."

With a smile at the two girls Edmund walked off, leaving Esha and a stunned Lucy to their dress-filled conversation.

"I...I don't...are you sure, Esha?" Lucy asked incredulously, fingering the beautiful material wistfully.

"Of course! I have loads of other dresses. You look beautiful as you are, but there's nothing quite like wearing a Narnian dress, is there?" Esha asked, thinking back to the moment's she had seen Lucy's face full of disappointment at her own appearance.

Lucy shook her head gently, smiling in embarrassment and shook the skirt out, taking a good look at it.

Esha was about to suggest they go and make a start in Caspians study when they were both distracted by the crew running past and starting to cheer.

From their position they could see Edmund and Caspian circling each other, starting their spar cautiously. Esha smiled at Lucy and the two began to watch, seeing Edmund and Caspian testing each other's strength, smiling when they found the other to be stronger than before.

"Go, Edmund!" Lucy shouted suddenly, making Esha call out too, despite having difficulty deciding who she wanted to win. In the end she cheered them both on, though she was sure neither of them could hear her and Lucy over the crew.

The fight was over as quickly as it had started with Edmund and Caspian finishing with their swords pressed to each other's necks in a stalemate. The two girls clapped and laughed a little and Lucy's attention quickly returned to the dress. Whilst Esha was watching Caspian congratulating Edmund, Lucy was holding the dress against the back of her left hand and remarking on how the colour was flattering to her.

"All right, back to work." Drinian yelled his usual command; on the Dawntreader there were a few bouts of excitement each day, causing all the sailors to stop their work temporarily to watch.

Edmund walked over to the two girls with a smile on his face, thanking a sailor who handed him a goblet of cool wine mixed with honey to sweeten it.

Esha was distracted momentarily as Caspian caught her eye across the ship and began mouthing something to her, and so missed Lucy and Edmund's conversation that they carried out across her. Esha simply shook her head when Caspian repeated himself for the third time as she failed to understand him yet again.

"I see you're still talking nonsense, the two of you." Esha jumped slightly at Eustace's voice and began to watch him closely, expecting him to do something unexpectedly amusing.

"Are you feeling better?" Lucy asked, trying her hardest to sound caring.

"Yes, no thanks to you, it's not like I have an iron constitution..."

Esha frowned as she tried to understand what he was talking about, thinking she had misheard his words. Edmund looked at her and simply shook his head gently, telling her not to bother.

"As effervescent as ever, I see!" Reepicheep declared cheerfully, suddenly appearing to Lucy's left. "Find your sea legs?"

"Never lost them." Eustace snapped back immediately. "I was simply dealing with the shock of things. Mother says I have an acute disposition...due to my intelligence."

Edmund spat out his wine at Eustace's words, prompting laughter from both Lucy and Esha – even Reepicheep had a little chuckle.

"I don't think he has acute anything..." The mouse said quietly, speaking to Lucy whilst Esha patted Edmund gently on the back as he tried not to choke.

"I'll have you know, as soon as we reach civilisation I'm contacting the British Consul! Have you all arrested for kidnapping!" Eustace shot back angrily, his gaze flicking from Esha's amused face to Edmund and Lucy's fed-up ones.

He immediately walked straight into Caspian's hard chest much to Edmund's amusement. "Kidnapping is it? That's funny; I thought we saved your life..." The King said; his face steely but his eyes full of laughter.

"You held me against my will!"

Reepicheep let out a bark of laughter, leaning against the ships side restfully next to Lucy.

"Did I?" Caspian asked, outright smiling now.

"In what I must say has to be one of the most unhygienic quarters. It's like a – It's like a zoo down there..." Eustace insisted, intent on complaining as much as possible now that he had everyone's attention.

"He's quite the complainer, isn't he?" Reepicheep asked Lucy.

"He's just warming up." Edmund said tiredly.

Their conversation was broken up by the cry of – "Land-Ho!" - from the crow's nest above them all. Caspian immediately charged up to the helm where Drinian stood to get a better view whilst the rest of them simply craned their necks from where they stood.

"Ah, the British Consul..." Eustace trailed off quietly; looking hopefully at the tiny outline of land they could see.

"Come on, let's get ready!" Esha said to Lucy, jumping down. Lucy carefully gathered the dress up in her arms and they both set off, telling the men working in their cabin not to mind them. Standing in front of the mirror they both brushed their hair, Esha pulling half of hers up and Lucy putting hers into a side ponytail. Then they cleaned their faces with damp clothes; Esha dusted off her dress whilst Lucy tried to make the men's clothes look as feminine as possible on her; the dress would not be ready for another few days yet.

Seeing what she was vainly trying to attempt Esha picked up the hairbrush once again and re-did Lucy's hair, tying it in the same practical side ponytail with a short length of white ribbon, styling it into a feminine bow.

"There..." Esha said with a smile, turning her to look in the mirror. Lucy smiled at her reflection and brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"Thanks, I wish I had your hair..." She said wistfully, catching sight of it cascading down Esha's back when the older girl turned to put the brush down.

"No you don't." Esha said with a smile, leading Lucy back out of the cabin and suddenly realising she'd smiled more in half a day than she had in a month. "You wish you had your hair; otherwise you'd be someone else!"


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, the support for this story has been phenomenal! As a wonderful thank you to you all, I have written what is possibly my longest ever chapter! I do hope you all like it, as always, please let me know whether or not you like it! Enjoy!_

"- sail up, prepare to drop anchor!" Tevros was shouting when Lucy and Esha emerged from their cabin a half-hour later.

"Better armour up, Lady Esha, there's no Narnian flags flying in this place." A sailor, Nausus, said, running past to help drop the anchor.

He was gone before she had a chance to say thank you, but she realised immediately that Lucy had no weapons except her dagger that had been preserved since her reign. "Caspian." She called, spying him high on the poop deck. "Lucy needs weapons."

He came down the stairs towards them and led Lucy to the armoury with Esha following.

Edmund was already there, checking his sword was firmly buckled around his waist. He gave a broad smile when they walked in and half-heartedly listened to Caspian as he mused over which sword would be best for Lucy.

"Should we take shields?" Edmund asked; staring at the stacks of Narnian shields in the other corner of the armoury. Caspian selected a short sword and weighed it in his hands as though it were a feather. After a pause he handed it to Lucy who struggled considerably to hold it in such an effortless way.

"No. I am their King, I don't want to arrive looking ready for war..." Caspian said, taking down Esha's two swords from their alcove high above their heads and handing them to her whilst Lucy tested the weight and balance of her new sword.

"Two swords?" Edmund questioned as Esha buckled one about her waist and tightened the strap over her right shoulder.

"I'm ambidextrous now; it's the only way I have an advantage over who I'm fighting." She said gently, beginning to strap on the other on the opposite side of her body. This time, the buckle was on her back and so Edmund leapt forwards eagerly, helpfully tightening it for her.

When he was done he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her backwards, pecking her cheek quickly and sweetly. A smile spread over her face and, having checked Lucy and Caspian were occupied she turned and gave him a kiss on the lips, just as swiftly as his had been.

Edmund too was smiling, and he held the door open for her with a love-struck grin on his face. Walking across the deck so close together their swords clinked against each other, Edmund and Tavros helped Esha into one of the waiting long boats.

"I'm not going in that thing!" They all heard Eustace protest as Reepicheep tried to coax him into the other longboat.

"Then stay here with Tavros." Edmund said simply, climbing in next to Esha and indicating the minotaur who bared his teeth in a grin at Eustace. After another moment of dallying, Eustace practically jumped in, retreating to the end of the longboat that was furthest from Tavros.

Esha controlled her laughter and Edmund turned to look at her in amusement with raised eyebrows.

"I suppose you think it's funny, don't you?" Eustace shot at them, his beady eyes watching their every move.

"If you're talking about your face, then yes, we do." Edmund immediately replied; it had been one of his favourite comebacks in England in the months they'd been staying with Eustace and his parents. Esha covered her mouth with her hand and tried to disguise the laughter coming from her as a fit of coughing.

The boat rocked a little as Caspian and Tavros helped Lucy in behind them, and when Caspian settled down next to her he suddenly remarked, "Your hair looks nice."

Lucy smiled shyly and ducked her head, gently fingering the bow Esha had made and trying to hide her pink cheeks.

When she was sure Caspian was distracted Esha turned in her seat and raised her eyebrows at Lucy who simply put her finger to her lips and gave an embarrassed little smile. Edmund looked questioningly at Esha, but the young woman simply smiled and shook her head at him; taking his hand instead as she realised that he wouldn't understand.

Edmund smiled at the contact and held her hand tightly in his own, refusing to let go.

"Going down." Tavros declared; untying the rope holding the longboat suspended.

Esha was prepared and was already holding onto the side of the boat and Edmund's hand, but Lucy was not and almost fell out at the initial jolt. Caspian quickly grabbed hold of her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"You're alright; I've got you." He said with a smile, making Lucy once again blush just as her cheeks had returned to their normal colour.

Much of the journey was spent listening half-heartedly to Eustace's complaining and arguments with Reepicheep; but most of them were preoccupied with the land that now loomed ominously before them. The setting sun cast an orange glow over the place and Esha felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand as she realised she could hear nothing.

Despite having very good sea-legs, Esha and Lucy allowed Edmund and Caspian to help them both off the long-boat for the two were each trying to impress one of the men and had no wish to fall flat on their faces.

Lucy too had noticed how quiet the harbour was, and she interrupted yet another of Eustace and Reepicheep's quarrels to bring everyone's attention to it. "Listen." She suddenly said, slightly louder than normal as she tried to catch everyone's interest. There was a short pause as everyone stopped in their tracks and strained their ears.

"Where is everyone?" Esha asked, catching on quickly and remembering how much hustle and bustle there had been in the new port Caspian had opened.

"Come on, jelly-legs." The all heard Reepicheep say in a bored voice.

"I'm quite capable of doing it myself." Was Eustace's clipped reply that was promptly followed by a groan of pain.

They all whipped around and stared at him blankly, each thinking that he had only got what he deserved.

"And you're sure he's related by blood?" Caspian asked from in front of them all.

Esha raised her eyebrows and shook her head gently with disbelief that Edmund and Eustace could have a single drop of familiar blood in them. Having listened to Eustace childishly quarrelling with Reepicheep for an entire half hour she no longer found him very amusing.

She slowly followed Edmund up the ramp, drawing one of her swords and holding it out, ready in front of her. The silence was almost deafening, and some Esha was imagining she could hear sounds coming from all around them, though of course there was nothing there.

She jumped and gasped in surprise as an old bell in the tower sounded, sending her heartbeat into overdrive. After a lengthy pause they all continued with cautious steps, their weapons held ready and their footsteps quieter than ever before.

"Reepicheep, stay here with Drinian's men and secure the place. We'll head on. If we don't come back by dawn...send a party." Caspian ordered; his voice slightly more nervous than it had been on the ship.

Esha looked at him as he passed her, searching his face for fear, but he avoided her gaze, concentrating instead on what was ahead of them.

"Yes, your Majesty." Reepicheep replied automatically, already beginning to search the surrounding area for anyone hiding.

Esha paused a moment and waited for the nervous Lucy to catch up with her whilst Edmund and Caspian went on ahead.

She could see the fear in Lucy's eyes, but the young Queen would never admit to it and so the two continued on in silence, for Esha would never admit to her fear either.

Every now and then one of the two girls would jump as one of Eustace's particularly loud footsteps behind them would echo. The two were gradually catching up to Edmund and Caspian who frequently had to stop, certain there was an ambush waiting for them round every corner.

Esha's heartbeat had barely calmed since their first initial fright, and as they reached the hall where the bell had sounded from she was glad. With her adrenaline pumping she felt energised and alert and knew that her senses were responsive to the smallest of things.

"Yeah, looks like nobody's in, so do you think we should head back?" Esha jumped as Eustace's voice sounded, amplified by the silence engulfing them all. She turned to look at him briefly before jumping down the curb after Lucy, sending Eustace a clear message that they were continuing.

Edmund's face was fed-up as he looked at his useless cousin. "Do you want to come here and...guard...something?" He asked, grasping desperately at vague ideas and screwing his face up in dislike of his cousin. He flicked his eyes to Esha and shook his head slightly at her in a despairing way.

"Ah yes! Good idea, Cousin. Very...logical!" Eustace said, running over eagerly. Caspian and Esha looked at each other with raised eyebrows before Caspian generously handed him his dagger for protection.

Eustace looked at it as though Caspian had handed him a pile of gold and asked him to defend it from a band of pirates.

"I've got it, I've got it...Don't worry!" Eustace said, making them all roll their eyes at him as he drew more and more attention to the small group. Edmund simply shook his head gently again and softly pushed open the doors, emitting loud creaks into the once again silent air.

Esha followed Caspian in, walking slowly and softly as the lofty, spacious room filled her with awe. She gazed at the bells high above them, her heartbeat pounding in her ears. She could not help thinking morbidly that the ropes keeping them tethered must be weak by now - judging by the amount of dust around them – and that a single one of the bells could crush even Caspian if it fell.

She craned her neck in order to stare up into the face of a statue as she passed it, noticing that each statue had different features carved into its face and hair.

A dusty, musty smell filled her nostrils and she saw large particles of dust floating in the rare patches of light coming in through the sparse windows.

"I'm ready to go when you are!" Eustace's voice once again carried through the air, annoying them all as their bodies still remained tense. At first his input on the Dawntreader had been funny; it had been amusing to listen to some of his complaining (though not for too long) and to see him carefully edging around the old Narnians, but now his input was annoying; even the way he walked was beginning to irritate Esha.

Lucy gave a sigh and turned back. "I'll go keep him calm." She said in a resigned voice.

Esha watched her go before quickly joining Edmund and Caspian at the cluster of books they'd found, glad that it wasn't her joining Eustace.

Edmund's torch scanned the two pages that were open and it took Esha a moment to realise that she was staring at a list of names written in a curling script.

"Who are all these people?" She asked immediately, wondering if there was an ancient Narnian tallying system that she didn't know about.

"Why've they been crossed out?" Edmund asked, quickly scanning the rest of the open two pages with his torch for clues.

"It looks like some kind of fee..." Caspian mused, turning over the rustling page.

"Slave traders." Esha suddenly said, thinking quickly and stepping away from the book in horror as she remembered her mother's stories. But surely it could not be? Her mother had said only the Calormene traded in slaves...

All of a sudden the bells around them started ringing, making Esha gasp again and freeze as she had earlier, her sword raised and ready in front of her as she scanned the gloomy rafters, searching for movement.

Dark shapes began sliding down ropes towards them, all out of Esha's reach and carrying swords of their own.

"Look out!" Caspian cried, shooting down one who was less than a metre away from Esha and approaching her from behind. He fell with a groan and Esha began fighting another one who had reached the floor quickly, drawing her second sword and fighting as an ambidextrous when yet another appeared beside him.

Twisting and turning as Caspian's sword-master had taught her, she sliced the leg of one of the men and narrowly avoided having her long hair chopped off as she spun to avoid the swords of both simultaneously. The clanging of metal on metal seemed deafening to her, interrupted only by the occasional cry of men she could only hope were not Caspian and Edmund.

Edmund had conquered both of his opponents with the immediate thought of helping Esha who was only an adequate swordswoman, but a girls scream made him turn to her even faster, dread rushing through him as he prepared himself to find her injured.

Everyone else had stopped as a result of the scream, but it was not Esha's. Instead she was standing firm, unharmed and both swords still in hand, staring at something past him and breathing deeply.

Turning he took in the terrified Eustace with a man and a dagger to his throat. The door shut behind them with an ominous clang, and only then did Edmund notice the figures behind them.

"Lucy!" He cried anxiously, spying his sister being carried along over the shoulder of another man behind the one with Eustace. Silence followed his call and he swallowed loudly as he realised she was either unconscious, or dead.

"Unless you want to hear this one squeal like a girl again, I'd say you should drop your weapons." The man with Eustace drawled, satisfaction oozing from every part of him.

"Like a girl!" Eustace protested childishly.

"What've you done to my sister?" Edmund demanded furiously.

"Now!" The slave trader bellowed, shaking his hand with the dagger in it, bringing its sharp edge even closer up against Eustace's skin. After a moment's hesitation Esha threw her swords angrily to the floor, glaring at Eustace as they were forced to drop their only protection.

"Eustace." Edmund said, dislike dripping from his voice. Esha squinted and saw the dust before Lucy's unconscious face moving as she steadily breathed in and out.

"Put them in irons..." The trader continued.

"Edmund, she's breathing...she's-" Esha started towards him but was jolted back when first one and then another trader caught hold of her, clamping chains onto her wrists.

"Get off her!" Edmund roared furiously, fighting off a trader with his bare fists. Another one stepped in and punched Edmund straight in the stomach, winding him momentarily and long enough to clamp his hands in chains.

"You'll pay for that!" Caspian yelled, witnessing it all.

"Actually, some-one else is going to pay...for all of you." Another slave trader said in a far more sophisticated drawl than the other one. He joined the slave trader who was only holding onto Eustace by his ear now. The wimp simply cringed and didn't even try to fight him off.

"Listen to me, you insolent fool, I am your King!" Caspian cried; he had not wanted to reveal who he was until he knew how they'd be received, but it was their last hope to escape.

The main trader simply gave a smile and a small laugh, amused at Caspian's fanciful ideas. "Take these three to market." He said, indicating Eustace, Lucy and Esha; who was already being half-carried towards the cousins. "The other two can go to the dungeons."

"NO!" Esha screamed hysterically as they pulled her away from the safety of the two Kings and the door drew nearer and nearer and the boys grew smaller and smaller. "Edmund! Caspian!" She was screaming so loudly her voice was already growing hoarse.

"Esha!" Caspian called back, determined to find some way to reach her within the next two seconds; struggling vainly against the three men trying to control him.

"Caspian!" She cried desperately, unable to mask the fear in her voice as it grew fainter and she was forced out of the door.

Edmund too was struggling so hard that he couldn't even call out to her; every ounce of his strength was going into escaping. He was fighting harder than ever before, desperate to escape and horrified at the thought of losing her so soon. For their pains the two each received a new bruise; Caspian to his stomach and Edmund to the side of his face.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hey everyone, so, love me, I'm updating after only 2 weeks! I have to say, the support for this story has been phenomenal! I mean...I knew I Couldn't Leave Her was popular and had a lot of followers, but this is by far my most successful story to date. 30 reviews after just 4 chapters! That doesn't mean I want you to stop my oh-so-wonderful-reviewers! I get a little tingle of happiness every time I see that this story has a new review, and so far I've had no criticism! This is brilliant! So thank you everyone, please enjoy this new chapter!_

Esha, Lucy and Eustace were kept in a small, dirty house overnight along with over three others who'd been captured. They all remained in one room, their hands linked to each other by long chains that allowed them a little movement each.

Only Lucy was asleep; everyone else was being kept awake by Eustace as he moaned and complained none stop. Directly in front of Esha sat a young man, exhausted after his earlier attempts to escape. His frail wife lay with her head resting on his shoulder; she looked thin and gaunt and his skin too had taken on an unhealthy pallor.

To Esha's left and beyond Lucy was an older man with notably tired eyes. Esha had not been reassured by the other captives; they remained largely silent and offered no words of comfort to the three, and the general unhealthy air around them alerted Esha that there was something seriously wrong with the way the island was being run.

She could feel her eyes closing, but all the while she was constantly kept awake by Eustace's grumbling and threats of reporting this to the British Consul. She was trying to focus instead on making sure Lucy's breathing stayed even and steady. She had woken up briefly just after the sun had set, but her exhausted body was in pain from the blow to the head she'd received and so she quickly fell unconscious again, leaning against the watchful Esha.

" - Consul will do something about this. I expect they'll jail them for a long time for committing crimes against an excellent British citizen - " Eustace grumbled on and on.

"Would you shut up!" Esha finally hissed at him angrily. "There is no British Consul here and no-one to help us! Now, as this is your fault, I suggest you stop complaining and start thinking of ways to escape and find Caspian and Edmund!"

There was a short silence interrupted only by the other awake slaves-in-waiting, who quietly declared things like – "Hurrah!" and "Thank goodness she's shut him up!"

"How on earth is this my fault?" He suddenly demanded. He'd only taken so long with his reply because he was unused to Esha berating him; it had come as quite a shock.

"If you'd been more of a man and helped Lucy in fighting off the trader we'd all still be together and free!" Esha hissed; quietening her voice as Lucy moved beside her.

"Oh, you mean if I'd been more like Edmund and - "

"Edmund is 10 times the man you are!" She shot back quickly, unwilling to listen to him criticising Edmund.

He fell silent, though she could practically hear him still grumbling and complaining in his mind.

Finally Esha relaxed her own head against the top of Lucy's, being careful to avoid the patch where she'd been hit heavily with the hilt of a sword.

She'd spent hours straining her eyes in the gloom to try and find a sharp stone or anything that may help her break through her chains, but the traders had been thorough in their selection of prison; the room was completely bare; not even a stone littered the floor.

Almost instantly she found herself being woken by a trader banging a wooden spoon against a saucepan a few metres in front of her, yelling at all of the captives to wake up and look lively, for today was the start of their new lives.

Lucy still looked a little dazed, but she struggled to her feet along with the rest of them and followed the others out of the rough door and into the bright sunlight of the morning.

Eustace was the last of all the slaves to be pushed out of the door, and even now he was complaining about the lack of food and water they'd been given and how it was an absolute disgrace.

Standing at the market Esha began to lose hope; there was no sign of Edmund and Caspian or even Drinian and his crew. Caspian had even ordered them to send a party if they hadn't returned by dawn, but as the line of slaves being sold shortened in front of them she lost hope; realising that they had run out of time.

She bit her lip fearfully as Lucy was hauled up onto the square stone that served as a platform, the small crowd assessing her worth.

"I bid 60!" Came as the cry as Edmund and Caspian were led out of the dungeons where they'd been kept as a precaution (all the young, strong males were kept safely in the dungeons whilst the weaker were taken to the house the other three had been kept in).

"80!"

"100 for the little lady!" The men were calling out, their eyes upon the dazed Lucy who looked like she didn't understand what was going on.

"200 for the big lady!" Someone else cried out, eliciting laughter from the crowd.

The slave trader smiled and lifted Lucy off the stone; bring up a protesting Esha instead.

"250!" Someone else called, making several men stop their bidding plans in their tracks as the price went too high for them. Edmund and Caspian looked down onto the grounds, only allowed to stop and stare because the guards were interested in what was going on too.

It took the two only a moment to realise what was happening, and when Edmund did he was rendered speechless, unable to breathe properly at the thought of Esha being sold like an object. Within moments she would become the possession of another man and for one split second an irrational part of his brain suggested he jump over the side of the building and save her, but the rational in him persuaded him that he would not survive the fall and then he would be no help to anyone, least of all Esha.

"I think we can go even higher...she's feisty, this one.." The trader said; his voice heavy with suggestion as he grasped Esha's shoulders and shook her body slightly as though she was dancing.

She whirled on him, punching him clean in the cheek with both of her manacled hands. The force of it sent him reeling and she quickly jumped down, screaming to Eustace and Lucy to run.

But the two had not even taken one step before they were held back by more slave traders, and a struggling Esha was caught by laughing members of the crowd and handed straight back to the trader who was flexing his jaw.

"You see? Very, very feisty...she'll need a real man to tame her..." He said, his voice once again full of innuendo as he held firmly onto each of her arms, making sure she didn't hit him again.

"300." The bidding started again, with Edmund and Caspian's guards leaning over the balustrade to watch one of the most expensive slaves to ever be sold.

"500." There was a shocked awe as the new voice rang out, offering enough money to pay for four good slaves.

"Sold!" The trader declared gleefully, pushing Esha over to the table to have her manacles removed.

"No! Don't remove her chains; I think I should lock her up securely at home first before I risk releasing something so wild." Her buyer said with a smile that was met with laughter from the rest of the crowd.

"I am Narnian nobility." Esha said, tossing her hair back and raising her chin defiantly. "The King himself is my protector; just try and lock me up!"

"You are lucky my friend; you've got yourself a slave worthy of a King." The trader said, completely missing the point and already pulling Lucy back up.

Esha's buyer was tall and beginning to age but still well-built, managing to control her on his own without the help of his attendants who rushed to his aid when she began to struggle.

Edmund lost his head as he saw Esha's buyer manhandling her, turning to his right he attacked the nearest guard, feeling satisfaction wash through him when his face immediately became bloody from the force of Edmund's blow.

"Now, we were at 100 for this little lady. Come on, don't be shy; she may not look like much now but she'll grow up to be just like her big sister..." Esha heard the trader say, restarting his sale of Lucy.

One of her buyer's slaves jumped up into a cart and held out his arms, ready to grab Esha at his master's command. Her buyer lifted the fighting girl up, only managing to half get her in the cart just as Esha heard a familiar voice.

"I'll take her off your hands; I'll take them all off your hands!" Her head snapped up and she frantically searched the crowd at Reepicheep's distinctive voice. Relief swept through her body like a huge wave as Narnian cry came from all around the crowd and the Narnians threw their cloaks off, revealing their uniform and drawing their swords.

Esha kicked her buyer in the groin before he had a chance to swivel her legs into the cart. He doubled over with an oof of pain and Esha ducked, avoiding his attendants as they swung for her.

High up above them all she caught sight of Edmund and Caspian having their own battle with their guards and was saved from the grasp of one of the slave traders by Tavros who pushed him away so forcefully he flew several metres through the air.

Tavros guided Esha to a nearby wall where she held her arms out in front of her and as far away from each other as possible, pulling the chains taunt. With a single swing of his mighty axe the minotaur broke the chain in half, leaving Esha's wrists still manacled but she was now able to defend herself.

Tavros turned to help a struggling faun whilst Esha began to find herself a weapon, but her buyer had recovered, and with the aid of his attendants he captured the struggling Esha again, one wrapping his arms around her torso and the other around her legs, pinning her limbs to her body.

With much screaming and wriggling the two attendants climbed up into the cart with her whilst her buyer took the driving seat, whipping the horses up into a canter almost immediately.

"Help!" Esha screamed as they passed Tavros, but the minotaur was surrounded by fighting men.

She wriggled again, fighting to free herself with every ounce of strength she had, but the two slaves were strong and she finally stopped, panting hard. She realised she was now this man's slave and she suddenly began fighting again, screaming for help as loudly as she could as everything she had experienced with Miraz swamped her.

But the cart turned a corner amidst a flurry of dust and Esha completely lost sight of the brawl and anyone who had seen her disappear lost sight of her too.

She began fighting yet again and at one point managed to get one of her legs free and kick the slave in the face as she flailed it around at random, hoping to hit something. Within a second he had both of her legs trapped again and was staunching the blood flowing from his nose with one hand.

They met more and more crossroads and eventually Esha accepted the inevitable; it had become impossible for anyone to find her.

She struggled to stay calm as she felt the cold arms of fear starting to embrace her.


	6. Chapter 6

_Woooooow I'm a good person! It's only been a week, and this is close to 3000 words! (which is really, really impressive for me...) I've been absolutely astounded by the support for this story and the amount of love out there for Esha and Edmund, it's truly wonderful to know that so many people appreciate this story! Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, there were quite a few of you! Please review again, or if you don't normally, then DO IT! Enjoy! _

Edmund sprinted after the cart, unable to get up enough speed to match it or even follow it closely. He hoped his desperation would force his legs to move faster, but it seemed physically impossible; his legs were a blur and each foot seemed to barely touch the ground before the other had taken its place. He had no weapon, and though he knew it was hopeless he kept running, sweat pouring off his body from the fighting and running in extreme heat.

He simply couldn't believe this was happening.

He was so tired he barely heard the cart drawing up alongside him. It slowed slightly and Edmund realised it was Caspian at the reins.

"Get in." The King cried, slowing the horses even more and darting his gaze between Edmund and the road.

Edmund fell back and dived into the open back, catching hold of the side when he nearly fell out again as Caspian whipped the horses back to their top speed.

He rested for a moment, catching his breath before climbing over the cart and sitting down in the front next to Caspian, still breathing heavily.

The cart ahead of them was considerably closer now, but when the two followed it around a corner they discovered it had disappeared either right or left down a winding road.

"Which way?" Caspian shouted above the sound of the horses hooves cantering.

"I don't know!" Edmund replied, trying to keep a clear head.

Caspian pulled on the reins and the horses slowed, sliding to a halt amid a small cloud of dust.

"You go that way, I'll go this way." Edmund said, jumping out of the cart and beginning to run down the left road.

Esha's legs were released and she was allowed to walk into the house for herself, though a slave kept his arms firmly through hers, pulling them behind her back and completely preventing her from using them.

"Darius!" Her buyer cried in a deep, overpowering voice as soon as he walked through the door.

Esha had one last go at escaping, stamping on the slaves right foot she twisted, almost wrenching her arms out of their sockets in the process as the slave still held on firmly, a yell of pain being all that he allowed to escape.

Finally she gave up, feeling the ribbon in her hair slide out and trying to calm herself as the slave propelled her through the open door and fear washed through her body. She caught sight of her ribbon lying among the dust as the door closed behind them and her breath hitched in fright as she realised she was well and truly trapped now; her ribbon was all that remained to indicate she was here.

Finally a figure appeared in the gloom to Esha's left. "There you are, Father! I have been waiting for you! We must discuss-"

"-I have a present for you, my son." The buyer boomed again in a voice almost as loud as earlier.

Esha could see Darius now; he was young, perhaps a year older than Caspian, and he was exceedingly handsome – tall and well-built like his father he had floppy dark hair that fell over his face, concealing one of his bright blue eyes. His features were refined and sharp, giving him a structured and intelligent face.

But as he turned to look at Esha she was sure she detected hints of cruelty in his features.

"Look at her, isn't she beautiful?" The father asked; catching hold of Esha's chin roughly and holding her face up.

She jumped at the contact and wrenched her jaw out of his grip, straining her neck in her effort. She stayed with her head to the right, drooping so that her hair dropped forwards and covered her face.

"I cannot tell, Father."

Her buyer let out a chuckle of laughter. "She's feisty this one. She's been trying to escape ever since I got her...note Amos' nose; the handiwork of her well-aimed foot. And; in her own words; she is Narnian nobility and protected by the King...there is only one thing this slave would be good for..." He implied.

Darius laughed a little and Esha heard and felt him walk over and stop in front of her, but she refused to look up or acknowledge him.

After a moment he did the same as his father and forced her head up with his hand. Having seen her reaction to his father's touch he was ready; his grip was harder, firmer. Unable to pull out of his strong grip she instead stared into his assessing eyes defiantly.

One corner of his lips curled up in amusement and he finally let her go, watching as she now refused to break his gaze; determined to outstare him.

"I'll take her home straight away and ensure she knows her place...I'm sure the tenant business can wait till tomorrow, Father?" He asked, breaking his gaze with Esha and looking to his father instead. Esha breathed out a small sigh of relief, her eyes beginning to flick from side to side in search of an escape route or something to help her escape the clutches of the slave.

"Of course, make sure you have fun!" Her buyer boomed with a deep chuckle.

"Give her to me." Darius ordered the slave who stood aside, his grip still on Esha's arms. As soon as he began to move Esha twisted, putting all of her weight behind her action she wrenched her arms from the slave's grip before Darius had the chance to grasp hold of her.

She stumbled a little but recovered quickly, adrenaline aiding her in every way possible as she ran through the open door Darius had just come through amid shouts from the men. She slammed it shut behind her and ran straight through what appeared to be a small library and through the next open door, ending up in a lounge. She slammed this door shut too and immediately began to heave a heavy arm chair in front of it.

The door was pushed open before she was finished, but the chair was in place enough to prevent Darius from pushing his way through or fitting through the small crack that he could open the door.

She finished pushing the arm chair in place and now began to push the small desk; aware that Darius and the slaves would soon force their way through.

She was panting from her struggles, but she put every ounce of strength into moving the desk, forcing herself to push just a little harder when she heard Darius ordering the slaves to push at the same time as him.

With the table half in place she abandoned her efforts and ran through the next door and into the kitchen where a woman dropped a bowl in surprise.

Esha flinched as it smashed but still carried on, beginning to push the large table that was used for preparing food in front of the door.

"What do you think you're doing? Stop that or - " The woman started to protest, skirting around the edge of the broken pottery.

"Please help me!" Esha said, suddenly stopping in her job and trying to make the woman understand. "I have been bought as a slave but the Narnian Kings will be here any moment to save me; I just need to hold these men off long enough for them to get here!" The woman looked disbelieving and Esha began to beg her frantically, convinced that Darius and the slaves were just on the other side of the door now. "Please! Help me and you too will be freed; if you fear your Masters wrath then once this has been moved I'll tie you up and pretend you tried to stop me!" The woman now merely looked uncertain, but she still showed no indication of wanting to help Esha. "Please help me or I will serve Darius' bed!" Esha cried, almost in tears. Finally the woman understood and began to push at the table too. With two of them working at it the table slid across the floor quickly, thumping against the door just as Darius' voice became audible.

"Now quickly, tie my hands and go out the back!" The woman said, holding her hands out behind her back with the ties of her apron in her hands.

Esha quickly tied them with a double knot, thanking the woman as she charged into the back door. She blinked rapidly for a moment before realising that the door was locked and far too solid for Esha to break down on her own.

"It's locked! Where's the key?" She asked, frantically trying to rattling the knob.

"Only Master has it! Ok, go out the window!" The woman said, thinking quickly and with a clear head.

But both of those were locked too. Esha began to panic, her heart thumping heavily in her chest as though reminding her that if she did not escape within the next few seconds she would lose everything she loved.

She ran a hand through her hair and searched desperately for something heavy enough to smash the thick windows. She jumped and gave a small scream of fright as Darius began to bang against the kitchen door.

The slave stopped trying to help her and instead crumpled in a corner, too afraid of being punished to help Esha escape.

Esha could feel her breath hitching from fear at being caught; now that she'd tried and almost had escaped she'd be punished as well.

The table began to move along the floor, slowly jolting backwards a few centimetres each time Darius put his shoulder to it. Esha froze in fear, watching with horror as the door inched open. Suddenly it stopped; one of the table legs had caught on an uneven patch of the floor and required more force.

It jolted Esha out of her helplessness and finally she picked up a stool.

"Help me you useless things!" Darius yelled at the slaves. After a moment the door began to gradually open with much greater speed and Esha heaved the heavy stool at the nearest window.

She could hear grunting from the other side of the door, but after a deafening bang as the stool feel to the floor she screamed in frustration as she realised it had only cracked the window.

Her hands fumbled on the stool whilst the door opened more and more until it was finally enough for Darius to squeeze through.

Esha threw the stool at the window again, breaking a small section of it, but still it did not shatter as she had hoped it would, and now Darius was almost in the room.

Esha abandoned her efforts and instead picked up a nearby short vegetable knife and a carving knife, brandishing them at Darius who had struggled through the small gap he had created.

"Don't come any closer!" She yelled at him, trying to calm her breathing and remember her training. She took her stance, half turned to him with her feet wide apart to help her balance. She flicked her hair back and stood with the knives out in front of her, ready for him to come closer.

He had stopped, watching her a little warily now that she was not as helpless as she had been only moments ago.

"Don't be foolish, girl. You're only making things worse for yourself." He said, bending down slowly and drawing a dagger from his boot. "Stop this now and I'll only punish you lightly. I may even stretch so far as to not punish you at all." He was slowly walking towards her, but Esha lowered the points of the knives at him menacingly and he stopped, seeing that she meant business.

"You really want to fight this out? Why? The outcome will be exactly the same, only this way you'll be injured too.."

"The King himself has trained me." She hissed, gradually getting her breath back and preparing herself mentally for what lay ahead.

"That means nothing to me. I serve no King." He said, darting forward neatly and trying to dislodge one of her knives with an unnecessarily complicated move.

Esha responded with a basic deflection, twisting her own knife round his she spun around and kicked him hard in the hip, disarming him whilst he stumbled.

She kicked the fallen dagger behind her, hearing it hit the wall out of his reach with a satisfying thud.

"I see you've received the most basic training." He said, recovering quickly and backing away from her a little with a far more cautious expression.

"You got her yet? Get those knives off her!" The sudden exclamation from behind her made Esha jump and whirl around in fright. It was the booming voice of her buyer who stood peering through the small section of broken glass from outside.

She screamed when she felt Darius clap his arms around her, pinning her arms to her side. The knives flailed in her hands as she tried to bring them into contact with any of his skin but only succeeded in brushing his arms.

He propelled them forwards and into the sideboard, trapping her hands between her abdomen and the wood.

Esha suddenly stopped struggling as pain enveloped her middle.

She knew what had happened but she could not say it, and though surprised at her sudden passiveness Darius was not going to move until he knew she would not attack again.

"I'm going to enjoy taming you down." He hissed in her ear.

He frowned when she didn't reply; expecting her to fight for herself. Realising something was wrong he pulled her away from the sideboard and realised that only one knife clattered to the floor.

The other; the small vegetable knife, was buried in her midriff, it's end sticking out of her green dress and looking as out of place as Eustace did amongst the Narnian crew.

Darius gave a sigh of annoyance and spun her around, getting a good look at it.

Esha could barely breathe for the pain; it was taking everything she had not to scream and cry at it; even now she refused to appear weak in this man's eyes.

He looked into her shocked eyes and shook his head at her as though she were a child. "I told you you'd end up injured. This one's now useless, Father, a waste of your money!" He said loudly, turning her around so that her buyer could see the knife sticking out of her through the broken window.

"Oh...what a shame! Well...you could stop by the physicians on the way home and see if he could stitch her up..."

"Yes. I suppose it's always worth a try." Darius replied, beginning to propel Esha towards the door which had been gradually opened by the slaves, but she was not going to make this easy for him.

She tried to fight but instead found that she had no energy left and simply collapsed to the floor, putting everything she had into not screaming.

He sighed again and lifted her up far more easily than Edmund ever had, carrying her past the tired slaves. Esha would have liked to have struggled, to have fought him, but all she could do was loll her head against his shoulder and press her hands against her stomach in pain, fighting back tears.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Father." Darius called over his shoulder, going back through all of the doors Esha had struggled to barricade.

Darius put her in the back of his cart; he had no need to chain her down for she was in no fit state to escape. Blood was beginning to seep through her dress now; she could feel how quickly it turned from wonderfully warm to ice cold; how quickly she could feel her life draining away.


	7. Chapter 7

_I'm soooooooorry I've made everyone wait for this chapter...especially as the last one was a bit of a cliffy! But, I'm back; my exams are over so I won't abandon you all like that again! I'm thrilled with how popular this story is and it's wonderful to know Esha and Edmund are so loved! Thank you everyone who reviewed the last chapter, everyone review this one! Enjoy! _

Edmund was tired of running, forcing each leg in front of the other with a determination that can only be created through love. Had the situation not been so awful he would have laughed out loud as he realised his stupidity; he had passed over 10 empty carts with the horses already yoked up on his way.

Slowing down he hauled himself up into the next empty cart, a mere minutes run from the last one, and spurred the two horses on, quickly turning the cart around and back onto the road. He looked back to check he had not been seen and noticed a white ribbon lying on the ground in the doorway. He harshly pulled back on the reigns, forcing the horses to stop abruptly. Getting back down he jogged over and picked it up, twining it round the fingers of his left hand before daring to admit that it was true; it was hers and she would be here.

Putting his ear to the door he paused before tentatively turning the handle, each second expecting to feel the resistance of the lock, but the handle slowly turned inch by inch until he was able to gently push open the door with a soft creak. He stood back against the outside wall for a moment, listening intently and waiting for someone to emerge. Finally he stuck his head around the door and practically jumped inside, immediately hiding behind the door. His confidence grew when he realised his entrance had gone unnoticed, and he gave a delighted grin as he noticed a sword sitting in an umbrella stand that was hidden with him behind the open front door.

He unsheathed it and went left cautiously, following the sound of the faint voices. He passed room after room and eventually came to a kitchen where a large man was talking to a thin woman, giving her orders about something to do with windows.

She saw him first and gave a scream, jumping backwards in surprise. The man whirled around and started back too before gaining his composure and attempting to threaten Edmund out of his home.

"Who are you? How dare you enter my home uninvited! I'll see you - "

"Where is she?" Edmund asked, his quiet voice somehow managing to carry over the booming tones of the other man.

"I am a very good friend of the magistrate and - "

"I don't care!" Edmund shouted, taking a few steps forward and pointing the sword directly at him, making him start backwards a little more, his eyes flicking between Edmund's face and the sword he gripped with a skilled ease. "I am King Edmund of Narnia and I have come for Esha; the helpless girl you disgracefully bought like an item." He elaborated, holding up his left hand which still had Esha's ribbon wound through his fingers.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He protested much more feebly, scared of the mad glint in Edmund's eyes and trying to protect his only son.

"Tell me where she is or I will sentence you to death right here, on this very spot. Tell me now, and I will ensure your punishment is lighter than everyone else's on this god-forsaken island!" Edmund threatened, his gaze unwavering.

"I gave her as a gift to my son; he is taking her to the physicians on his way home, due north." He said quickly as Edmund brought the sword closer and closer to the large mans belly.

"The physicians?" Edmund whispered, blinking rapidly.

"There was a fight and - "

But Edmund didn't hear what had happened and how Esha had been hurt; he was already running back to the cart.

He skidded to a halt at the front door he had left open, kicking up dust behind him as he pounded across the driveway and back to the waiting cart.

"Edmund!" A voice cried out. He once again skidded to a halt, squinting in the bright sunlight until he realised it was Caspian. In his haste he had not even heard the horse's hooves that had announced Caspian's arrival.

He ran into the road and leapt up next to Caspian. "Go!" He ordered, pointing on down the road in what he hoped was north. "Quickly!" Caspian flicked the reins urgently and the horses set off with a little jolt. "She's been injured and taken to a physician by her owner. We must get her to Lucy quickly!"

The two continued in silence, straining to see through the dust being thrown up around them. Edmund pocketed the white ribbon and put the sword down by his feet, sitting tensely on the edge of his seat, ready to move and do something at the first sight of her.

A cart gradually came into focus and Edmund had to stop himself from bolting up; firstly because they didn't know if it was the one Esha was in, and secondly because he would reach it much faster if he remained where he was.

"Faster!" He yelled at Caspian over the noise of the horse's hooves and the loudly turning wheels of the cart. Caspian flicked the reins urgently in response, continually doing so as they went just that little bit faster.

They drew closer to the cart and Edmund eventually made out a dark green shape. His heart leapt with joy as he realised they had found her and he picked up the sword and stood, carefully holding onto the cart and crouching, turning to his left as Caspian lined the cart up to draw up alongside the other.

The man driving the cart Esha was in realised with confusion that they were after him, but he noticed their odd clothes and one look in Edmund's dark eyes caused a flicker of understanding to pass across his face.

Edmund chucked his sword into the back of the cart and, being careful to avoid Esha, he flung himself in after it, landing beside her with a heavy thump that shook the whole cart. The horses automatically slowed at the extra weight and Darius began to panic, unable to defend himself and steer the cart.

Edmund picked up his sword with a great war cry and lunged at Darius, but the older man flung himself from the cart, painfully rolling away in the dust. The cart slowed and swerved without its driver; being shepherded by Caspians cart the two came to a rest at the grassy side of the road.

Edmund dropped his sword and checked Esha, pushing her hair back from her face he forced himself not to assume the worse as he took in her ashen face and closed eyes. The middle of her dress was soaked with blood and more of it had dripped onto the wooden cart so that she lay in a pool of it.

"Esha?" He asked, fearfully holding her beautiful face between his hands and tapping her urgently on the cheek. She opened her eyes but they barely managed to focus on him and they closed again a second later.

Edmund turned as he heard pounding footsteps, ready to defend Esha despite having discarded his only weapon, but the person he found was Caspian who drew to a halt beside him, peering in over the edge of the cart.

Caspian looked daunted at what he saw, unsure of what to do and Edmund realised he was on his own. "You drive, I'll stay with her." Edmund ordered. Drawing on his years of experience as a king of old he was already beginning to undo his jerkin. Caspian jumped into the driver's seat and hauled the horses around as Edmund pulled his shirt over his head. "Ok, now this might hurt a little, but it'll help..." He said, steeling himself briefly and pulling the knife out of her. He chucked it aside and balled his shirt up, pressing down as hard as he could in an effort to stop the bleeding. "Quickly!" He called out, alarmed that she had not even responded to either of the things he had done.

The cart began to jolt as it gathered speed and he repeated her name over and over, gradually getting louder and louder as he tried to wake her up, watching for eye movements or anything that indicated she was awake.

He checked for a pulse in her neck, holding his breath whilst his fingers desperately sought one. Her eyes fluttered open suddenly and he breathed a huge sigh, wanting to break down and cry with relief.

"Esha, it's me, Edmund, I need you to stay awake for me or - " But her eyes had already closed, and no matter how hard he tried he could not wake her.

Each second was vital to her. He pressed harder, realising she had lost a lot of blood, but he was no expert on women's body's. In his years as king he'd seen many men bleed to death on the battle field but he had no idea how much blood was in a human woman, she could bleed to death right here. "Hurry up!" He screamed at Caspian as he reached his conclusion and panicked. "She's dying!" Caspian whipped the horses with the reins at Edmund's words, barely slowing as they rounded the last corner and came into view of the now-calm courtyard.

Caspian had left the battle once the fight had almost been won and Lucy had told him where Edmund had gone. Now, the Narnian's had chained the traders who remained alive and were gathering the bodies of those who were dead as the cart drew to a halt in a whirlwind of dust.

"Allow me to introduce you - " Drinian started, pacing in front of the gathered slave traders, but Caspian interrupted him.

"Lucy? Quickly!" He yelled, jumping down and opening the door of the cart.

Lucy came running, taking one look at Esha's bloody body and quickly unbuckling her cordial as the crew, slavers and people of the Lone Islands all watched on in silence. It had been taken from her by the slavers, but they had uncovered the stash of their valuables and weapons half-way through the fight.

Edmund lifted Esha's head with a blood stained hand and Lucy tilted her cordial, letting a single drop fall in. He closed her mouth, waiting as the seconds ticked past for Esha to swallow and suddenly heal.

Her stomach glowed bright gold underneath his shirt and she took in a deep breath, opening her eyes and looking up at him in surprise.

Edmund let out a shaky laugh that was echoed by those around him and hugged Esha tightly, his heart beat beginning to slow now that he knew she was safe.


	8. Chapter 8

_Sorry guys, I meant to update sooner but I've been a little busy! This isn't a particularly long chapter but I'm going away for a few days and won't be able to update so I'm determined to do it today! Thank you to everyone who's reviewed previously, the support for this story is just amazing! Please review again guys, I really, really love reading about your appreciation! Enjoy!_

Edmund jolted awake, his heart beating erratically from the unnatural awakening. It did not become any slower at the sight of Esha in the gloom in front of him, dressed in nothing but her nightdress.

"Sorry." She whispered, her face cast in shadows but her large eyes still distinguishable. "I couldn't sleep; I'm wide awake from Lucy's cordial."

"It's ok." Edmund whispered back, closing his eyes briefly and breathing deeply in an effort to calm the blood surging through his body. "Are you feeling ok? There's no pain or anything...?" He suddenly asked, his eyes flying open.

"Of course not. The cordial's magical." She said simply, slightly confused as to why Edmund was asking.

"Right. You, sorry, I'm still slightly asleep." He said, remembering the way he'd felt after receiving Lucy's cordial on numerous occasions; wide awake, alert and energised. He carefully swung his legs out of his hammock and jumped down, checking they had woken no-one.

"What are you doing?" She asked in alarm. "You don't need to sacrifice your own sleep just because I'm awake! I just came to see if you were by chance awake..."

"No, honestly, it's ok. We need some 'us' time." He said, rubbing a hand through his hair in an absentminded attempt to organise it. He took her hand and led her slowly back along the ships lower deck, being careful to avoid the gently swaying hammocks and anything littering the floor. He allowed her to go up the step ladder first, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

On the deck he could see the two guards talking quietly and trying to keep each other awake on the poop deck, not even bothering to check if anyone was coming when they were docked in what was not a safe land.

Edmund put a warning finger to his lips and silently led Esha down the gangplank and onto the harbour pier.

"I think a barefoot walk in the moonlight is just what we need." He whispered quietly to her, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her tight against his side as the two began to meander slowly down the length of the harbour. She responded by putting her arm around his waist, her fingers clenching hold of his shirt securely.

"I never got the chance to thank you earlier, for saving me." She finally said after a lengthy silence; it was not an uncomfortable silence, merely the kind of silence you get between people who are relaxed enough in each other's company to not feel the need to constantly talk. "It seems you're always saving me." She reflected. "Like my knight in shining armour – or rather – my king in shining armour." She said in a much more upbeat tone.

He chuckled a little and didn't say anything in response, simply revelling in the feeling induced by being called her 'king in shining armour'.

"I hope Caspian doesn't wake and find us gone; he might assume we've been kidnapped or something." She suddenly said a little worriedly.

"Relax, he'll see it's only you and I who've gone and realise it's so we can be alone.." Edmund said, remembering something that had been troubling him just last night whilst he and Caspian had been locked up.

The two descended into silence again, their light footsteps the only sound.

"Are you ok?" She suddenly asked a little worriedly after glancing up at his face several times. "You seem a bit...distracted. Is something on your mind?"

He hid his surprise that she'd noticed; he'd been trying his hardest to act normal and to push his worries to the back of his mind.

"You are." He quickly responded with a smile, kissing her lightly on the lips in an attempt to distract her.

She smiled broadly and her happy, earnest face made him smile too.

"Tell me a bit about your world; what's your favourite part of it?" She asked suddenly.

There was a long pause as Edmund thought about all the positive points of his world. He had spent all of his time in England wishing he was in Narnia and it had made him grumpy, even angry at his world for keeping him trapped and away from where he wanted to be. But now that he was in Narnia he could think much more favourably about England and realised he had ignored what was beautiful about it, even during wartime. "My parents are there." He finally said decisively, regretting his answer as soon as it had left his lips as he realised Esha did not know where her parents were.

"And the worst bit?" She asked quickly, glossing over the subject.

"You're not there." He said just as quickly.

Esha's lips turned up in an embarrassed smile at his words and she stopped abruptly, forcing him to stop with her. Standing on her tiptoes she kissed him fully on the lips, something she had wanted to do for days but been unable to with the teasing crew around them constantly.

Edmund automatically threw his arms around her waist, pulling her flush up against him and responding enthusiastically, deepening their kiss.

They finally broke apart, their faces pale in the moonlight. "I've wanted to do that for so long." He said, nothing but raw joy in his voice.

"You're not the only one." She replied, resting her forehead against his.

"So, now it is your turn, what is the best bit about the new Narnia?" He asked, beginning to continue down the harbour, holding firmly onto her hand.

"All the things I'm learning from the Old Narnians." She said simply.

"And the worst?"

"You're not here." Edmund gave the same smile as Esha had only moments before; this was perfect, it was making him completely happy even though he knew that if he was watching this happening in a film in England he'd be struggling to hold back making retching noises at the sugary sweetness of it all.

"What are you thinking?" She asked with a suppressed smile, watching his face closely in the moonlight.

"I'm remembering something in my world; they're called films, or movies; and they tell stories about people; it's played at a cinema and you can see the people like you would in real life, but they're bigger and on a flat screen." He began, unsure exactly how to explain films to her when she could never understand without seeing them.

"And what kind of stories do they tell?" She asked as he paused and began to reconsider his explanation.

"War stories, love stories are really common, most films are based around love..."

"But why would someone let other people see their love life? I mean...it's private, you don't broadcast it to everyone, you - "

"No no no, the stories aren't real! I mean...they're probably based on people's real life love stories but the people in the films are called actors, and they pretend to be different people and they relate stories that have been written, like a book; books are often adapted into films.."

"Oh I see." She said, smiling at her own mistake. "Do lots of people watch these films?"

"Yeah. Loads of people. I guess they like to dream that one day they'll get the same happy ending as the people in the story." Edmund mused, beginning to think about his own life as a story.

"I sometimes think our lives could be turned into a story." She said and Edmund jumped a little at how similar they were.

"So do I." He admitted.

"The trouble is you'd have to be really picky or you'd end up with a really big book. I mean; would you start from when you and your brothers and sisters came to Narnia, when you left it and then skip to everything that happened last year? And then skip again to what's happening now? Or would you break it up into separate books?"

"I'd do a book for the Golden Age, another for last year and another for this year, and then I'd write a separate book altogether just for us." He said, pulling her to a stop and kissing her again, revelling in the fact that he could do that after going a whole year without even being able to see her face in reality.

"I think we should stargaze." She suddenly said.

Edmund's eyebrows furrowed together at the unexpectedness of it. "Stargaze?" He checked. She nodded earnestly and he let her pull him off the wooden harbour and onto the neighbouring gentle slope of grass.

"Stargazing is supposed to be really romantic. Everyone knows that." She stated, lying down flat on the grass, goose pimples rising all along her body at the contact with the cool and slightly damp grass. Edmund laughed a little at her and lay down too opposite her, positioning his head carefully so that her left cheek was pressed up against his right.

"This is my idea of heaven, lying here with you." She said quietly, closing her eyes and trying to commit the happy moment to her memory forever, knowing that she was about to ruin it. "You know after you died last time?" She asked hesitantly, feeling him automatically tense a little at her words. "What exactly happened?" She asked, unable to help herself.

"I was gone straight away, and I turned up in the middle of nowhere, a luscious field filled with nothing but nature and bordered by trees...I just sort of lay there for a while, completely at peace with everything, and then Aslan appeared and told me what had happened and that I had to go and see you, to explain why I'd had to die. And then it was like every time I blinked the field had faded a bit and the room you were in had become clearer. And when I was finished with my mission with you, I went back to the field for a little, and then just returned to the train station at the same time as my siblings. And then I didn't feel happy or relaxed anymore; the crushing weight of what we've all been through finally hit me."

"You don't hate me for it, do you?" She whispered.

"No!" He protested, flipping over and looming over her. "It's not like you were even doing anything, you weren't to know, I don't blame you for any of it. "Besides, I could never hate you." He finished quietly, unable to help himself as he stretched out a finger and began to gently trace her face, first her eyebrows, then eyes, then lips. At first she simply closed her eyes and gave a content sigh, but as he traced her lips she gently bit his finger playfully.

He gave a little laugh and reprimanded her by tapping her nose with the same finger.

"You know, I don't think I've ever seen your face in moonlight." He said. She made an agreeing noise in her throat. "We've been out in the moonlight together, but I've never really studied your face in it."

"No. And I've never seen you face at dawn or dusk either." She mused.

He suddenly jumped up, pulling her up after him. "Well, one thing at a time, we've conquered moonlight tonight, dawn and dusk can wait for now."


	9. Chapter 9

_Sorry, I think it's been about 2 weeks since my last update, this isn't a particularly exciting chapter, however it is a very long one! (for me, anyway). Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, please do so again! The reviews for this make me sooooo happy because they're always so positive! Enjoy!_

"Are you alright?" Caspian asked a little worriedly as he strolled over, sensing that Edmund was not happy.

There was such a long pause between the two that at first Caspian thought Edmund had not heard him, that he was so absorbed by the passing sea he was watching far below them that he had blotted out the noise of everything that was happening on deck.

"Something has been bothering me, and I am ashamed of what it is." Edmund finally replied.

"Well please say it. We all worry about things we should not." Caspian urged, squinting in the sunlight. There was another lengthy pause, Edmund's gaze never flickering from the sea and Caspian's gaze never moving from the profile of Edmund's face.

"That day when the girls and Eustace were taken from us by the slave traders, Esha cried your name, not mine." Edmund explained hesitantly, still refusing to meet Caspian's eyes.

"And it bothers you?" Caspian checked a little incredulously.

"Yes. But I am ashamed of it." Edmund stated, finally turning to look at Caspian, his cheeks aflame with embarrassment. "Instead of thinking of how to escape our dungeon, I sat and thought it through over and over again in my head."

"But did you not hear her call your name? I know she did."

"She did, but only once. She called yours far more and yours was the last name she called." Edmund replied immediately, leaving Caspian in no doubt that the event had been replayed over and over in Edmund's mind.

"You must remember, Edmund that you have not been here for a year." Caspian explained, putting all of his practise as king to use as he tried to diplomatically comfort Edmund and extinguish his insecurities. "When you left it was I who comforted her and dried her tears. It does not mean she loves you any less."

Edmund was silent, looking out at the sea again and Caspian gave a little sigh. "Her face lights up when she sees you, not me." There was a long pause between the two whilst they each stared back down the ship, able to see Esha whilst she helped Lucy sew up the dress she had given her. "How is the sword coming along?"

Recognising that Caspian had nothing more to say on the matter Edmund grasped gratefully at the conversation lifeline he had been thrown. "Well, I've cleaned the entire blade now, though I'm expecting the hilt to take considerably longer...I should probably get back to it..." He said, making an indication down the deck with his hand uncomfortably, desperate to get away and think about Caspian's words; to analyse them and the way Caspian had said them until he was satisfied.

Caspian nodded his understanding, his gaze following Edmund down the ship towards Esha.

Sure enough, when she looked up and saw him headed her way a bright smile appeared on her face, visible even from the other end of the ship. The two were distracted by Eustace who ran quickly past, upsetting a pile of newly coiled rope and bumping into several members of the crew.

"Why doesn't it surprise me that he's been stealing food?" Edmund asked tiredly as Reepicheep drew an orange from inside Eustace's shirt.

"Reep'll give him his comeuppance." Lucy commented a little less wearily than Edmund. Casting the dress aside she jumped up and leapt eagerly forward, watching the ensuing shambles of a duel.

"Come on, I want to see this." Edmund said with a smile, helping Esha up.

"Focus, focus!" Reepicheep was instructing Eustace helpfully.

Everyone laughed at Eustace's attempts to fight back. "You look a lot like that when you fight.." Edmund remarked cheekily to Esha.

She shoved him and he stumbled away slightly, laughing gleefully. "Now who looks like that?" She asked back, her hands on her hips indignantly.

"All right, all right, I do." He replied, holding his hands up in defeat as he strolled back to her, placing an arm around her shoulders nonchantly as they went back to watching the duel. Whilst outwardly laughing, inside he was memorising Caspian's words and remembering how Esha's face had brightened when she saw him. Looking down at her nestle beneath his arm he gave her a kiss on her head, feeling her silky hair stroke his cheek as he pulled away.

She smiled back up at him before he had to remove his arm in order to applaud as Reepicheep bested Eustace, but then started forward worriedly as he noticed a few crew members and Lucy clustering around something with uncertain eyes.

"My goodness, it's a girl!" He heard Esha commented quietly, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Gael? What are you doing here?" They heard Rhince demand, striding forwards and comforting his frightened daughter, worried about what to do with her.

Drinian strode forwards menacingly but surprised them all by holding out the stolen orange to the young girl. "Looks like we have an extra crew member." He commented in his gruff voice. There were smiles all around as Drinian displayed his soft side and the young girl took the orange silently from him before retreating to the safety of her father's side.

"Welcome aboard." Lucy said with a smile, striding forward confidently.

"Your majesty." Gael bobbed down in a curtsey respectfully.

"Call me Lucy...come on!" She said with a smile, putting her arm around the girls shoulders and leading her across the deck and into the girls' cabin.

"Oh, I should go too." Esha said, giving a little start and hurrying away over the deck after them.

Edmund watched her go for a moment before returning to his sword.

Esha walked in quickly after Lucy and Gael and gave the girl a big, reassuring smile as soon as their eyes met.

"Hello, I'm Esha." She said, unsure what to do now. "I'm afraid I'm not as famous as Lucy, but I like to think I'm just as nice." She ventured uncertainly, trying to act confidently. In her previous life with her family she had never really been exposed to young children; she had no siblings of her own and had only come into contact with a few of the servants children once they were older and had begun working in her house with their parents.

"I know who you are." Gael said in her little-girl's voice, bobbing in a curtsey just as she had for Lucy. "You're Lady Esha and you live with the new king in his castle."

"That's right, I do." Esha said with a smile, more than a little perplexed as to how Gael knew these things when her island was populated by people who didn't follow their king and hadn't been in touch with the mainland in years. "But pleas, call me Esha. I hope you weren't looking forward to sleeping in a hammock; I'm afraid we've just been given a plain old bed." She said playfully."

"Yes, it'll be a bit of a squeeze with the three of us in it..." Lucy mused, looking at it with a raised eyebrow.

"That's ok, we'll sleep head-to-toe. You two sleep with your heads at the headboard and I'll go the other way."

"Sure?" Lucy asked shortly. "That ok with you, Gael?" The little girl nodded, some of her fear and shyness beginning to disappear.

The two girls showed Gael over the ship and laid down the ground rules for her such as mealtimes, what she should do if there was a storm, where she couldn't go and who not to annoy. By the time they were done the ship had almost reached the next island.

Esha stopped brushing Gael's tangled curls and the three stood on their balcony, straining their eyes to see anything on the shore in the gloom.

"Which island is this?" Esha asked Lucy.

"I'm not sure. None of the islands look at all recognisable to me." Lucy said sadly, giving a little smile when Gael slipped her hand comfortingly into hers.

"I'll go and find out what the plan is." Esha decided, making her way back up on deck.

"Rhince? What's going on?" She asked the passing sailor who carried a large coil of rope over one shoulder.

"We're all going ashore for the night and searching the island in the morning."

"Is that wise?" She asked, thinking about the last island and wondering if there were any hidden secrets on the island that may not end as well as they had last time.

Rhince shrugged in response, clearly not quite happy with it either. "Orders from the top." He hurried off and Esha returned to her cabin, joining the other two girls on the balcony. "We're sleeping on the island and then exploring it tomorrow." She explained. "What should we take?"

"We don't want to inconvenience ourselves with unnecessary baggage; I don't think I'll take anything – having unbrushed hair won't matter for one day.." Lucy shrugged, leading the way back into their cabin as a blast of cool air made Gael shiver.

"All the necessary supplies will be taken down by the crew; perhaps we should take a reading book..." Esha mused, shutting and locking the doors behind them.

"That's an idea! Gael, do you want to choose it? Come on, I'll take you to Caspian's study."

Esha left the cabin with them but went back up on deck, checking that she could be of no use to anyone. "Everything's under control." Tavros told her, heaving a barrel of water into one of the longboats; they would not be able to search for new supplies until the morning. "Orders are to eat your evening meal before we go ashore though."

"Ok." Esha called out gratefully, disappearing into the gallery and eating her meal quickly with a few of the crew who were there doing the same. Dinner would normally be eaten on deck or in cabins if the weather was bad, but with all the bustle currently going on it was easier for the crew to take it in turns to eat in the small gallery.

"Why've we stopped here?" She asked the present crew who were also eating their dinner, Nausus and Ocosto.

"The water's too shallow and full of rocks to risk going any closer to shore." Ocosto replied before quickly shovelling a spoonful of stew into his mouth hungrily.

"You've finished it!" She suddenly remarked, spying the newly cleaned sword hanging by Edmunds side when he too came into the gallery for his meal.

"Yes, finally!" He replied, clearly pleased with himself. "It took me long enough."

"What are you talking about; you only got it two days ago!" She retorted incredulously. "May I?" She asked, putting down her fork and rubbing her hands together as though to remove dirt from them.

"Of course." He said, sitting down at the table opposite her and handing her the sword, now completely preoccupied with his food.

Holding it up to her face she examined every detail of it, especially the intricate hilt which Edmund had diligently cleaned. It was very light, lighter than any sword she had ever held and she said so, resisting the urge to swish it around when she was in such a small place.

"Because it's dwarf-made, and even by their high standards it's a masterpiece!"

"It's a very fine sword, your majesty." Nausus commented, casting an admiring eye over it as Esha handed it back to Edmund.

"Oh well that's just great." They were all distracted by Eustace's whining voice from the doorway. "There isn't even anywhere for me to sit to eat my own dinner! I'm telling you, the conditions on this boat are absolutely - "

"You can sit here, I'm done." Esha cut in quickly, standing up and picking up her plate.

"Don't leave me with him." Edmund muttered under his breath, his eyes pleading with her.

She gave a devious little smile and walked off anyway, giving her plate to Cook.

Seeing Edmund's sword had reminded her that she'd need to take her own swords ashore and so she went to the armoury, hoping that her swords would prove to be more useful this time.

Knowing that they wouldn't be exploring the island until the next day she didn't strap them about her but simply carried them in her hand, unable to see the point in struggling to get them on when she'd simply be taking them off to sleep anyway.

"Did you find one?" She called out across the deck to the emerging Lucy and Gael.

"We did indeed. The tale of the wandering farmer. We thought it appropriate because we're wandering too." Lucy explained, looking down at Gael who was nodding enthusiastically.

"Ladies." Tavros called out.

"Oh, you both need to go and eat in the gallery, quickly!" Esha urged as the minotaur waited by the longboat for them.

The two ran off and Esha made her way to Tavros, allowing him to help her into the longboat that already had two crew members in it. Edmund quickly climbed in too, sitting down next to Esha.

"You're mean." He jokingly whispered in her ear.

"My goodness, how quickly did you eat your food?" She asked incredulously, looking at him with a little alarm.

"I had an incentive to finish quickly." Edmund replied, wrinkling his nose at the mere thought of Eustace. "Why were you being so nice to him?" He asked, staring hard at her face.

"All I did was give him a seat I was about to vacate anyway..." She explained, raising her eyebrows questioningly at him in response.

"But why...?" He pressed.

"I think I may have been a little too harsh on him on the last island." She said simply, unwilling to elaborate on something she was not particularly proud of.

"What happened?" He pressed further, unable to believe anyone could be too harsh on Eustace.

"When the three of us were imprisoned I told him that if he'd been a proper man like you we wouldn't be in that situation, but during his duel with Reepicheep I realised I'd been unfair to him."

"You do realise that it's impossible to be unfair to Eustace...I've just left him moaning and complaining to Lucy about the state of the gallery and the disgraceful excuse for food that we're all forcing him to eat..." Edmund protested as Lucy and Gael were helped into the longboat. Finally Eustace too climbed in, sending the whole thing wobbling as he tripped slightly and almost fell into the sea.

Edmund rolled his eyes and looked away, staring at the side of the ship as though it had become the most fascinating thing in all of Narnia. Eustace finally settled down and when Tavros believed the boat had stopped rocking enough he began to lower it with the same initial jolt as last time. Lucy and Esha now knew to hold on and Lucy also kept hold of Gael, only Eustace didn't have the foresight to prepare himself.

With a very unmanly scream he righted himself. "A little warning wouldn't go amiss." He shouted up at Tavros.

"Just keeping you on your toes." The huge minotaur called back, lowering the boat of 8 people by himself.

Their short journey was uneventful with even Eustace quiet, seemingly tired out after his duel with Reepicheep. They were the first boat to reach the shore and Edmund and the two crew members helped everyone out of the boat whilst Edmund took a quick look around to ensure the beach was safe before they all settled.

After dinner everyone simply lounged around, enjoying for once not having to bustle about preparing and checking ropes.

"Will you read to me?" Gael asked Esha quickly, leaning over Lucy and holding the book out to her with an angelic little smile.

"Yes, of course." Esha quickly replied, taking the book and sitting up straight so that the firelight fell on the pages of the book and she could see the words. She began to read with Gael leaning against Lucy's side on the other end of the rug, even trying to do different voices for the different characters.

Anyone who was still awake began to listen to her too; everyone enjoyed a good story. The crew were dotted all around, in and out of the numerous large rocks that were stuck in the sand and many had already fallen asleep, perfectly content now that they had a full stomach and a fire to keep them warm.

Eustace was the one who fell asleep the most obviously with hi continuously loud snoring. After making a big fuss about insects crawling over him in the night he'd finally settled down away from the rest of the crew, in a huff after they'd laughed at his panic attack at what he thought had been a large spider (but had in fact been a leaf).

Esha read until the end of the story, despite Gael falling asleep halfway through.

"Very well read, Esha." Caspian commented lazily from his languid pose on the blanket he was sharing with Edmund that lay on the other side of Esha.

"So well read even Lucy's fallen asleep!" Edmund commented and all three laughed very quietly.

"Eustace too...it's a wonder anyone sleeping near Eustace heard the second half of the story!" Caspian joked, drawing louder laughter. "I haven't heard that tale in a very long time." Caspian said when the laughter subsided, clearly remembering the last time he had. "Not since I was a little boy."

"I don't think I've ever heard that story." Edmund remarked.

"No, you wouldn't have, it's an old Telmarine one." Caspian replied, gazing at the stars with his arms behind his head.

There was no reply to his words and one by one the three fell asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

_Sorry it's been a while since I last updated everyone, but I'm working on it! Thank you for the reviews so far, as always it's wonderful to know that this story and its prequel are much loved! Please review again as it does make me very happy! Enjoy!_

That night when everyone was securely asleep the giant footprints appeared in the sand with small thumps, gradually getting closer and closer to the cluster around the fire.

"Seems they've bought a pig." A voice called out in a stage whisper, staying near the snoring Eustace almost curiously.

A footprint appeared on the sand between Edmund and Esha, precariously close to each of their hands which were thrust across the sand, inches from each other.

"This one; it's female." A different voice said quietly. "And there's another…"

"And another." Claimed a much deeper voice, its footprint appearing in the sand beside Gael.

After a moment the footprint by Esha and Edmund moved, materialising instead by her head. The book Esha had left between herself and Lucy was opened at a random page. "This one reads." It was declared with awe, condensation appearing where the creatures face ought to be.

"Which one?" Asked the one beside Gael, hopping over and standing by Lucy's head.

"Dunno." The other mumbled a little sulkily.

The creature that had stopped by Eustace came hopping over and joined his two comrades by the three girls. "Let's take them." He said almost gleefully, Grabbing Esha first and silencing her before she was even awake. Lucy had a split second warning where she woke with a little gasp but then she too was silenced by what appeared to be the air.

The two were dragged through the bushes face first, their feet dangling a metre above the ground, their cries muffled and arms pinned to their sides by whatever carried them.

Lucy fared better than Esha who seemed to be held by a strong creature that held her face and arms in a vice-like grip whereas Lucy had managed to free one hand and was frantically tugging at the air around her mouth.

Esha was dropped hard to the ground first and Lucy followed quickly, almost landing on top of her friend.

Lucy scrambled to her feet and drew her dagger; their only protection for Esha was not wearing either of her swords.

It was knocked out of her hands almost instantly and flung a few metres away, shinning cruelly in the grass at them in the moonlight.

Esha scrambled up and started forwards towards it but was flung backwards, rising a few inches off the floor from the power of the hit to her stomach.

Winded, she relied momentarily on Lucy who pulled her up and clutched her close whilst she recovered her breath.

"There is no escape!" A deep, gruff voice declared from in front of them.

"We're quite scary." A higher, almost strained, voice interjected from their left.

"What are you?" Lucy finally asked, clutching onto Esha's arm nervously, her fingers digging into Esha's soft skin.

"We are terrifying invisible beasts." Esha clutched at Lucy's arm with her own hands, still breathing a little harshly from the hit she'd taken.

"If you could see us you would be really intimidated." The gruff voice said, trying and failing to sound convincingly scary.

Esha cocked her head to one side and turned slightly, trying to count all of the different voices and determine the size of their enemy.

"You forgot to mention that we're very large." The strained voice added, sounding as though he were simply describing something that he found scary and trying to apply it to him and his comrades.

"Well what do you want?" Lucy demanded bravely, her head flicking backwards and forwards nervously.

"You…you'll do what we ask." The gruff voice said in a sort of half-demand and half-request.

"She will." A completely different voice said assuredly from behind them. There were several other noises and phrases of smug satisfaction from around them, all said in completely different voices from the one's they'd already heard.

"Or what?" Esha suddenly demanded boldly, straightening her back and lifting her chin. She had recognised that, though they were completely surrounded, these creatures were stupid. If she and Lucy played their cards right they may be able to escape unharmed.

But then again; stupidity and violence were often found together.

"Or death." The gruff voice said sinisterly.

"Death?" Five others asked in surprise before beginning to chant the word over and over, gradually getting louder.

"Well we wouldn't be much use to you dead now, would we?" She demanded confidently, taking control of the situation and letting her eyes subtly flick backwards and forwards, searching for an escape route.

The grass beneath their feet was patterned with shallow grooves that ran in squares, circles, spirals and all manner of shapes. The trees and shrubbery around them were the same; finely clipped and managed into swirling shapes or perfectly round balls.

There were a thousand possible escape routes; but if they could not see their enemy then they could not avoid them.

"I hadn't thought of that." The gruff voice mused a little worriedly. Esha turned to face the direction the voice had come from. He had spoken the most and so was clearly the leader; seeing someone else take charge should undermine him enough for the two to escape.

"No, you hadn't." A new voice called out from behind the girls.

"Fair point." A similar voice said a little begrudgingly. Esha ignored them all and continued to stare into the air in front of them, her jaw set and brow creased in a frown. On the outside she appeared to be looking at them with disapproval and annoyance, but it was a mask; really she was squinting slightly and trying to see if there was any hint or indication at all of where their enemy was and what it was.

"Alright, then we'll just kill your friends." Another suggested, clearly delighted with his idea.

"Oooh." The circle of creatures almost hummed, the very air seeming to vibrate a little.

"Good idea."

Lucy looked to Esha worriedly, her fear unabated at the sight of Esha's ashen face. She knew that it was simply the time of day; the sky was gradually brightening and her own face had taken on an unhealthy pallor, but however rational her mind was being the knot in her stomach would not loosen.

"Well feel free." Esha declared, lifting her chin defiantly again. "They are no friends of ours. As a matter of fact we were their prisoners; you've done us a great favour by taking us."

"I hadn't thought of that." This one replied, echoing the leader's earlier words.

"No, you hadn't."

"Ok, we'll kill your friend!" The leader said excitedly and Lucy was suddenly wrenched backwards with a jolt.

"No!" Esha practically shouted, reaching for Lucy as a reflex action. She clapped a hand over her mouth as she realised she'd given it away; if she'd stayed cool she could have acted like Lucy meant nothing to her and the two could have escaped, but now it was obvious that the threat to Lucy's life had her in the palm of their hands.

"What do you want with me?" She asked, glaring into the thin air above Lucy's head.

"You will enter the house of The Oppressor." The leader declared happily. A hand was smacked into her back, sending her tripping forwards with force.

"What house?" She demanded, irritated that they'd found a way to ensure she did as they wanted, but she could not do what they asked if they set her an impossible task in a house that didn't exist.

"This one." The leader declared as a sliver of light appeared in the air in front of Esha. A set of double doors opened slowly, gradually beginning to show the face of the wooden doors with the old Narnian crest on them rather than the extensive fields beyond where the two were being held.

Esha stood stock still, her heart beating faster. The creatures may call this the house of The Oppressor, but she knew that it was a magician's house. Yellow light filtered through the doorway and allowed Esha to see the red-velvet carpeted stairs directly in front of her. She glanced around quickly, her gaze taking in the stone floor and statues of griffons and other Narnian beasts frozen on little tables.

"Upstairs, you'll find The Book Of Incantations. Recite the spell that makes the unseen seen." The gruff leader instructed her.

"Well put, Chief. Well put." Another praised. More noises of admiration were made around the circle as though the Chief had given a great speech that would save the world.

"Well go on, we haven't got all day." One of them hurried her.

"Remember what will happen to your friend."

"You've been warned."

Esha glanced back at Lucy and saw the fear that was plastered all over her face. She could not leave her alone with invisible beings who were clearly a little inclined to aggression.

"Why don't you do it yourself?" She asked curiously, stalling for time whilst she thought of an excuse to either take Lucy with her or for the two to exchange places.

If this was indeed the house of a magician then he should recognise Lucy for the queen she was and he'd be able to help them. Especially as the Narnian crest was on the door; the inhabitants would undoubtedly be supporters of Narnia else they would have removed the crest.

"We can't read." The Chief told her, a touch of embarrassment to his tone.

"Can't write either as a matter of fact."

"Or add."

"Yeah."

Esha almost wanted to laugh at them; they seemed to feel the need to have the last word; even if that word was literally 'yeah'.

"Nor can I." She suddenly declared, looking Lucy in the eye. "Only my friend can; why not let her come with me?"

"Yeah, why not?" One of them asked in confusion.

"No!" The Chief declared.

"No?"

"No?" Was echoed around the circle again with tones of worry.

"She stays here!" The Chief insisted.

"Well, at least allow us to exchange places; she can read and I can't…therefore I cannot recite the spell." Esha reasoned.

"Yeah."

"Alright."

Lucy was released and Esha was instead dragged backwards heavy-handedly.

"Beware the oppressor, he's very oppressive!" The gruff voice informed Lucy. "What makes the unseen seen, got it?"

"Don't forget."

"Don't forget that."

"Yeah."

"Right."

With one last glance backwards Lucy walked slowly into the house, leaving Esha behind with the invisible enemy.


	11. Chapter 11

_Hi everyone, thanks for the reviews! Once again I'm amazed at how popular this story is! If you haven't done so yet, please check out the prequel to this "I Couldn't Leave Her" or my other current Edmund story "Shards Of A Haunted Mind" (it's my personal favourite…although I love this one too!) I would just like to offer my sympathies to anyone who's had to return to school, or college, or university or whatever, that really sucks! Anyway, please review again, it does make me happy! Enjoy!_

Caspian jolted awake with his heart thumping at the loud and very close-by noise. He was frozen for a moment, wondering what on earth had woken him before suddenly breathing a sigh of relief as he realised it was only Eustace's snoring.

He scowled, adding it to his mental list of things he didn't like about Eustace. He'd been having a particularly nice dream about winning a jousting competition, and had been moments away from receiving his surprise prize when he'd been rudely awoken.

Seeing that the sun was rising he sat up slowly, his back a little stiff from sleeping on the sand. He took a moment to appreciate the sun rise and the brilliant light it had cast over the sleeping island, making everything strangely orange.

He struggled to stand, being careful not to wake Edmund and stretched his limbs out in all directions, wishing he could have slept longer but looking forward to what promised to be a day of adventure.

He stepped off the rug he and Edmund had slept on, looking for their small storage of water. His foot fell in an odd imprint in the sand, and after a single moment of confusion he realised he was looking at a giant footprint. It was almost 4 times the size of his own foot, and as he looked around he saw more and more of them, all around the sleeping forms of the sailors.

His breathing hitched as he realised that there was a concentration of the footprints by the girls' rug, and only one sleeping figure was there now.

He immediately stooped down, shaking Edmund's shoulder. "Ed?" Edmund moved a little and Caspian slapped his arm sharply; this was not a good time to want another 5 minutes. "Ed, wake up." He commanded quietly, looking all the time at the footprints around where Esha and Lucy should be sleeping. Edmund made a questioning noise in his throat and turned his head to look sleepily at Caspian. "Wake up, look!"

Edmund struggled up quickly, realising by the urgency in Caspian's voice that something was desperately wrong.

"The girls." Caspian spluttered as Edmund noticed the giant footprints. "Esha?" He suddenly called in a voice that was unnaturally loud for the still air. The crew around them jumped awake.

"Lucy?" Edmund called out with the same panic.

"Everybody up!" Drinian suddenly commanded in his authoritative, deep voice, wide awake already. "Get up! Get up I say!"

Everyone scrambled awake, grabbing their weapons in a daze. They hadn't even noticed the huge footprints, but when one pointed them out they all stared, amazed and nervous that the creatures had been so close to them whilst they slept.

"This way." Caspian called out, beginning to run in the direction the footprints led.

"Look lively! Move!" Drinian barked, beginning to insult them as they all stood, too awed by the footprints to move.

They began to chase after Edmund who was close at Caspian's heals, all stumbling over the uneven surface and kicking up sand.

The visible trail ended as soon as they reached the end of the sand, and they continued at a much slower pace as Caspian and Edmund led the way bent almost double, looking for any flattened blades of grass or other indications that someone had passed through recently.

"Here!" Caspian suddenly exclaimed, seeing the outline of one of the footprints in the grass. They all began to run that way before having to stop as they reached a sort of field with oddly-shaped plants in it and thousands of pathways around each plant.

"This is hopeless." One of the sailors muttered. "How do we even know if they've got them? The two could have gone of exploring on their own…"

"Be quiet, you fool." Rhince barked. "Any buffon would have noticed there were no fresh human footprints mingled with the giant ones. The ladies could not have left on their own two feet!"

"He's right though, this is hopeless. We'll have to split up and look for any other clues. If we find the creatures we'll find the girls. They can't be hard to miss with feet that size." Edmund explained to Caspian, thinking quickly.

Caspian nodded and Drinian ordered the men to split into pairs, sending them off in different directions.

Edmund and Caspian went together, Edmund searching the ground and Caspian the bushes for any sign of where the creatures had been.

"Caspian! Lucy's dagger!" Edmund exclaimed in a horrified whisper, dropping to his knees beside the glinting weapon.

Caspian turned back with hope in his eyes, relieved that they were at least on the right track.

He jumped as something whizzed right past his ear and turned quickly. He knew that sound well; it was the noise of a spear as it flies through the air. Edmund sprang up, still holding onto Lucy's dagger and there were noises of surprise from the men around them as more spears were thrown, though by some blessed piece of luck none of them met their mark.

They all stared around for their enemy with creased brows, expecting them to be hiding in the bushes.

"Stop right there, or perish!" They were commanded by a deep, gravelly voice that came from the middle of nowhere.

Caspian jumped as his sword was pulled from his grasp by something unseen and he was thumped hard in the face, making his nose pound.

Edmund stared in confusion as the crew around him began letting out noises of surprise and pain as their swords were forced from their grasp and their bodies were hit by what was seemingly nothing but air. Then he too suffered the same; his sword was wrenched from both of his hands and he was whacked by something on the left side of his face and his stomach.

He recovered quickly, only to find his sword hovering in mid-air, pointing directly between his eyes.

"What sort of creatures are you?" Caspian demanded, getting to his feet and taking a few steps backwards towards the rest of the crew.

"Big ones, with the head of a tiger and the body of a man." The same voice as before replied. He and Edmund met eyes briefly for a moment as the both tried to think of a plan, but Caspian suddenly froze; his eyes wide and almost fearful and fixed at a point over Edmund's head.

With alarm Edmund whipped around, his own face taking on exactly the same expression as Caspians.

There, a few feet from the group, was Esha, suspended in the air. Her arms were pinned to her side by something invisible, and the way that the drapes of her dress fell it was obvious that something was behind her.

"Esha." Caspian whispered, but it was Edmund who called her name out loudly.

"Don't worry; I won't let them hurt you." He called out, his voice set. He took on a fighter's stance, his eyes never leaving her. The invisible creatures had knocked all of their weapons aside, but no matter, he could fight with his bare fists.

He'd fight anything for her, and now it seemed he was about to fight with the air.

But the air behind her began to move, seeming to almost wobble and quiver. If possible, Edmund's eyes grew bigger, for the creature behind her had become visible and was not one; but three. They were like dwarfs, but with one large foot instead of two and with even wilder and bushier hair. Two of them were supporting the remaining one who was holding onto Esha, one arm pinning her arms to her waist and the other hand clasped over her mouth, hiding the entire bottom half of her face.

Her eyes widened as the one's surrounding the crew became visible too and her eyes boggled a little as she suddenly looked infuriated.

The creature holding onto her gave a yelp of pain and removed his hand from her face, shaking his whole arm as though in great pain.

"Let go of me you fat-bellied pig!" She screeched, angry that she'd allowed herself to be scared of something that was actually so unintimidating it was laughable.

"Fat bellied?" Came the hurt echo from all around the circle.

She began kicking out frantically, targeting the huge foot of the one holding her now that she could see him. He gave another yelp of pain and dropped her abruptly, letting her fall heavily with a gasp of pain as her legs gave out from underneath her. After so long simply hanging in the air her legs couldn't support her.

Caspian hurried to help her whilst Edmund picked up his sword, raising the tip of it underneath the chin of the one closest. "What've you done with my sister, you little pipsqueak?" He struggled to keep his voice under control. Only half the weight on his chest had been lifted. Drinian was already there; he'd located their chief almost instantly and stood with his sword to the back of the creature's neck, keeping him under control.

Caspian pulled Esha up, letting her lean on him for a moment as her legs got used to walking again. "Of all the stupid, stupid things - " She was muttering. "I should have known…you have terrible personal hygiene." She spat back at the one who'd dropped her.

"Hygiene?" He asked, seemingly a bit dazed, though it was difficult to tell with these odd creatures.

"Absolutely disgusting smell..." She was still muttering. "I'll be tasting his revolting skin for months…" She fumed as she and Caspian joined the group again. "Learn to wash." She barked furiously at none of them in particular.

"Now, calm down.." The one-legged dwarf stuttered at both her and Edmund, cowering in fear now he was visible.

"Where is she?" Edmund demanded.

Some of the other creatures began calling out things, but Edmund had ears only for the one in front of him, their 'chief'.

"In the mansion." He suddenly said in his gravelly voice.

"What mansion?" Edmund insisted, his worry growing with every second that passed.

The creature's eyes flicked to the left nervously and Edmund turned as a light shone in the corner of his eye.

The air began to morph in the same way it had done when the creatures became visible, showing first just the outline of the huge mansion.

Edmund stared with wondrous eyes as the mansion appeared before his eyes, the clouds behind it still visible. It'd been a while since he'd seen such great magic, or even such a magnificent building. Within less than a second it had fully appeared, complete with towering spires and ivy-covered walls.

"Oh, that mansion..." He amended, feeling a little foolish.

He turned as he heard more voices, noticing with a vague and uncaring glance that Eustace had joined them and was complaining some more.

Caspian finally made it over with a slow and slightly limping Esha and Edmund quickly held out his arms, offering her his support without thinking. She grasped his outstretched arm and he hovered, ready to catch her should she fall as Caspian let her go.

She grabbed him with her other hand and flexed her left leg, wincing as she did so.

"What is it?" He asked worriedly, putting an arm around her and physically lifting her until she was only half standing on the ground.

"Pins and needles." She replied shortly with a grimace.

It took him a moment to process this, and when he did he couldn't help giving a bark of relief, but still he continued to support her.

"Lucy!" She suddenly exclaimed in relief as the younger girl silently came out of the mansion with a much older man. Now with only a slight hobble she threw herself forward and the two girls embraced at length.

The creatures all looked in their direction at her cry and immediately began hopping everywhere comically, their shrill voices fearfully screaming "Oppressor! Oppressor!"

"Your majesties." She heard Lucy's companion say as he bowed respectfully to Edmund and Caspian. The girls untwined their arms from around each other and Esha stared at the stranger, noting his odd appearance.

He was dressed in a flowing coat with unreadable scrawls written and drawn all over it and his beard was fluffy, though not in the same wiry way as the creatures.

"Caspian and Edmund." Lucy introduced, nodding at each in turn to indicate who was who. "This is Coriakin; it's his island."

After a quick glance at each other Edmund and Caspian bowed to Coriakin politely, recognising that they were trespassing on his land.

"That's what he thinks!" The chief of the creatures suddenly piped up from between them. "You have wronged us, magician!"

There were numerous noises of agreement from his fellow creatures.

"I have not wronged you…I made you invisible for your own protection." Coriakin said slowly, simply, as though explaining it for the thousandth time to a very small child. He walked forwards briskly and the creatures immediately started hopping backwards with a great urgency.

"Protection?" The chief demanded incredulously as the three royals and Esha began to follow in Coriakin's footsteps, watching the proceedings with interest.

"That's oppression!" Another interjected from beside the chief.

The chief seemed to take courage and inspiration from the other's words and yelled "Oppressor!" at Coriakin as though it were a huge insult.

"I have not oppressed you." Coriakin replied, sounding thoroughly bored and tired.

"But you could've, if you wanted to." The chief argued back, ignorant to the crew members who had to move out of his way as he bounced blindly backwards.

"Be gone!" Coriakin said gently, throwing something that resembled snow at them.

They began to hop even more furiously (if that was possible), yelling that it was a spell and that he was oppressing them. After a moment Eustace became visible, emerging from the middle of all the hopping bodies.

"What was that?" Lucy asked Coriakin incredulously, watching as the last of white fluff floated to the ground and sat on the grass.

"Lint. But don't tell them." He whispered loudly, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"What were those things?" Eustace asked, still shifting from side to side and looking nervously over his shoulder as the last of the creatures disappeared behind hedges and bushes.

"Dufflepuds." Coriakin called over his shoulder as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Right, of course, silly me." Eustace snapped back, noticing that everyone was once again leaving him behind. He hurried after them, muttering to himself about the dangers of unknown creatures.

"Thanks for earlier." Lucy was whispering to Esha as they followed Coriakin, Edmund and Caspian just ahead of them.

"Was it hard?" Esha quietly asked back, getting used to be being able to feel both her legs again.

"No…I just read aloud. You were so brave! I couldn't have stayed outside - "

"I wasn't really brave." Esha interrupted, still chastising herself for her fear. "They were hardly terrifying monsters – I was probably safer than you in the end!"

"But still, I won't forget this." Lucy pressed, shaking her head earnestly.

"What's this?" Edmund asked, darting a glance over his shoulder as he eavesdropped on part of their whispered conversation.

"Nothing." Esha replied a little louder, beginning to look around now.

Coriakin was leading them all down a dimly lit hallway with numerous closed doors leading off from it.

She paused and looked at the detailed decoration around the doors, recognising egg and dart above the frame on the first one. It took her a moment, but she finally realised that the second door was decorated with masks that grinned back at her with unseeing eyes. She supressed a shiver; she'd never been able to abide the masks that wandering performers wore.

She hurried after the group but suddenly felt drawn to a room that was four doors down. Everything was so dim and dusty that it was difficult to distinguish anything, but after straining her eyes she was able to see the complicated and detailed flowers decorating the doorframe. Underneath the dust the elegant swirls looked as though they could be gilded, and every now and then she was sure she could see two human figures amongst the curls, though they were so tiny and filthy that she couldn't be sure.

She was so drawn to the room she barely noticed what she was doing as she turned the handle and stepped into the room, oblivious to the green mist that slithered in after her.


	12. Chapter 12

_Hi everyone, thanks for the reviews etc, here I am updating after only 1 week! I've noticed some other writers doing this and I think I may have done it in my earlier stories, but do I need to write a disclaimer for each chapter? Sorry, could someone just clear this up for me…? Anyway, please review again, but most of all, enjoy! _

The room was dimly lit, but even as Esha began to slowly walk in it seemed to grow brighter with a green tinge that cast unearthly and sinister shadows all around her.

The walls were a hideous light beige with a darker beige pattern on top in a random crisscrossing and swirling pattern that was so confusing it was almost hypnotic. Esha stared at it for a long moment before blinking rapidly and looking at the rest of the room with a slight shake of her head.

Expensive sofa's lined the room in all kinds of style's; ancient Narnian and Archenlandian, Calormene and many style's she did not recognise from her history books. Above each sofa was a painting, all done with varying degrees of skill. Some of the figures were rather distorted as though painted by someone who was squinting through frosted glass, but others were so accurate they looked as though they could simply be someone who had frozen momentarily in astonishment at Esha's sudden entrance.

"You are Esha Veritas, are you not?" Esha jumped in fright and backed away from where the voice had come from, her eyes scanning the entire room when she saw no-one.

"Who are you?" She finally called out bravely, her voice far stronger than she felt.

"I am the Countess of the Lone Islands." Finally Esha realised that the voice speaking to her was not a human, or rather it was, but it was a painting of a woman to Esha's left. She slowly walked to her left and stood in front of the painting. Before she knew of the magic of Narnia Esha would never have believed this possible, but it seemed that anything and everything went in Narnia.

"Please tell me, am I dreaming or is this reality?" She checked, her gaze flicking to the paintings that were lined up either side of the painting of the Count and Countess of the Lone Islands.

"This is reality. But if I were you, Esha Veritas, I'd escape to dream land very quickly..." She said in her soft, lilting voice.

"Why?" Esha asked in confusion.

"Because I have seen into your future." The woman sneered at her as though it were the most obvious answer in the world.

"Is it not a good future? Am I not happy?" Esha asked worriedly, her face crumpling a little at the thought.

"What makes you think you'll ever be happy?" The woman whispered. Her face moved and she was suddenly looking out of the picture and at Esha, exposing the whole of her face. Her partner too looked out of the painting, wrapping a pair of painted arms lovingly around the woman.

"You'll always be alone." He said in a louder, crueller voice. "What man could ever want you?" He asked incredulously, enticing laughter from all of the paintings around her.

"Ed- Edmund wants me." Esha whispered, the words almost failing in her mouth.

"Edmund?" The woman spoke again this time from the safety of her position in the man's embrace. "But he's just a boy...a fickle, silly little boy. By the time he's a man he'll have forgotten all about you..."

"That's not true." Esha whispered so quietly her voice was barely audible. Normally she would have stood up for herself, perhaps even fought back if she was in the right mood, but these 'people' seemed to have cast a spell of fear over her and their words made her feel more insecure than she had in a long time.

"Isn't it?" The woman asked viciously, a cruel smile forming on her perfect lips. "How could he ever love you? You? Even your family didn't love you. They abandoned you the second they could get away; the only people who will love you, no matter what, and they left you all alone in this world. And this is how you'll stay forever."

"You think Edmund wants you? He is a King of Old, I'm a King, and I would never, ever want you." The man interjected, one corner of his mouth lifting up in amusement.

Esha's chest was tight at their words. They were right; her parents were the only people in the world who were supposed to love her unconditionally, and yet they were gone forever.

How could she have been stupid enough to think Edmund could actually like her!

She was nothing; a nobody.

But even now in her mind she could hear his voice saying her name. He'd said her name so many times and in so many different ways. He must feel at least a little something for her…

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"Where's Esha?" Edmund suddenly asked with a little note of panic in his voice as Coriakin finished his dramatic speech about the trials they had yet to experience.

The magician turned to look at him with grave eyes that clearly told Edmund he knew exactly where she was, but that he was not going to say it out loud.

Edmund paused one second longer to stare into his eyes before darting forward and rushing back down the dark corridor. His feet pounded over the magical map and were momentarily engulfed in what made him think of dry water. The coolness disappeared as quickly as it had reappeared when he had crossed the map and was instead moving out of the door.

"Edmund!" Caspian called out, following him quickly. He stopped in the doorway as he watched him dashing franticly from dark room to dark room, calling Esha's name and not even noticing the wonders each room held.

He'd been into over five rooms, and he was dashing back out of the seventh when he realised that Esha was in there; standing stock still he'd momentarily mistaken her for an ornament in the dim, odd room.

Paintings of couples lined the walls, all with their happy gazes directed out of the painting and onto Esha who stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by the paintings and lavish, comfortable-looking couches.

"Esha?" Edmund called gently after a moment's pause. He tilted his head slightly and took a tentative step toward her, fearful of the faraway look in her eyes.

"She is being tested." Edmund jumped at the sudden voice and turned to find the old man with Lucy, Eustace and Caspian half-hidden behind him.

"Tempted by her darkest dreams." Edmund whispered, swallowing loudly and trying to be brave as the fear he'd been feeling settled into his heart. "What on earth could be Esha's darkest dream? Dare he hope that it involved him?

"No." Coriakin replied, watching Esha carefully. "She is an exceptional woman; it's not her dreams she's tempted by, but her fears..."

There was a stunned silence around the room.

"Esha?" It was Caspian this time who called out to her in a louder and far stronger voice than Edmund had done.

The young woman still didn't reply, and despite knowing that she saw nothing of the room, Edmund followed her sad gaze to a particularly old painting of a couple who differed from all the others. The subjects of the painting were not looking out, but rather looking at each other; only the profile of their faces had been caught, but even then the love on their faces was evident.

"How do I help her?" Edmund asked, having to swallow yet again. He could feel something, some kind of energy pushing against the whole of the front of his body, holding him back.

"My dear boy, how can you help her with something you don't understand?" Coriakin asked him sadly with a slight shake of his head.

Edmund stared at Esha a moment longer before suddenly screaming her name, making everyone else jump at the volume and the urgency in his voice.

Esha suddenly rocked back on her heels as though she'd been hit by a strong blast of wind and blinked her eyes rapidly. After a moment she noticed them all standing there and flung herself into the arms of the only too-obliging Edmund, wrapping her arms firmly around his neck and staying there, feeling her heartbeat gradually calm.

"What happened?" He asked her quietly with bated breath when at least half a minute had passed.

She shook her head violently from where it was burrowed in the crook of his neck and he fell silent again, completely forgetting that everyone was standing behind him.

Finally her hold on him loosened and he held her away from him slightly so that he could look assessingly into her eyes without the distraction of her close proximity and enticing smell. "What is it?" He asked gently, seeing how her eyes were guarded. She was shielding her emotions – even from him!

"I – I had some kind of…hallucination." She stuttered, her voice a little faint.

"Yes. Coriakin's just told us that we're all going to be tested by our deepest dreams, but that you were being tested by your deepest fear…" Lucy said, stepping forward worriedly. Whilst they all cared about Esha, they also desperately wanted to know what she'd experienced so that they could each prepare themselves mentally and be ready for when they were tested.

For a long moment Esha was silent. And then she gave a slow nod as she began to understand. "My…deepest…fears…" She said hesitantly, unable to string the three words together properly.

Edmund nodded earnestly at her and she closed her eyes as she suddenly understood. She nodded with more enthusiasm this time and gave a sudden smile.

"What did you see?" Caspian asked, unable to hide his curiosity any longer.

She immediately flushed and looked at the floor as she realised that she could not tell them. It was too private; too personal.

She could feel all of their tense eyes upon her and she shied away from the sudden pressure, able to look only Edmund in the eyes.

"We should not ask her." He suddenly said to the others, his gaze never wavering from Esha's. "It's not our place to know her deepest fears; that's why they're her deepest."

Esha felt overwhelming gratitude and love envelop her for Edmund and what he had just done.

After a long moment Drinian began to silently lead the way out of the room, his gaze clearly telling Caspian that it was time they all returned outside to the rest of the crew. As everyone began to file out of the room Edmund turned to follow, but Esha grabbed hold of his arms and held him securely too her as she stared into his eyes for a long moment.

He noticed with relief that the barriers in them had disappeared again and he smiled as she beamed radiantly at him. She pressed her lips to his in what was, in his opinion, far too fleeting a kiss to satisfy either of them. In retaliation, he kissed her for far longer; overjoyed to have her in his arms after a terrifying morning of thinking he may never even see her again.


End file.
